The rise of unaccompanied alien children: Assessing the performance of a transition center with queuing theory

The recent crisis in the immigration system caused by the increasing influx of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) creates a serious humanitarian problem in the United States. After apprehension, UAC are prepared for shelter placement through a prescreen, which includes health and background checks. A transition center is a facility intended to fulfill these screening responsibilities. With over 100,000 UAC apprehensions expected in 2015, determining the size of these facilities is both a pressing challenge and a logistical necessity. We propose a queuing theory-based solution that yields performance measures as a function of the transition center size, the frequency of apprehensions, and the time that UAC stay in this facility. Finally, we support our model with several scenarios that illustrate the information that can be obtained from it.