The U.S. spent $2.7 billion in 2022 to care for unaccompanied children who migrated across the Southern border. The total amounts to $18,000 per child, according to OpenTheBooks.com, a nonprofit organization that conducted an audit of the program, which is administered by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).

The funds were used to provide social services for children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

By comparison, spending on public education by the Federal, state, and local governments average $15,120 per pupil, according to Education Data Initiative.

In Texas, the average spending per pupil is $9,871, while Florida spends slightly more at $9,983 per pupil. California allocates a higher amount, with K-12 schools spending an average of $13,642 per pupil. In New Mexico, per-pupil spending amounts to $10,469, while Arizona's K-12 schools have a lower per-pupil spending of $8,770.

According to the audit, ORR disbursed $12.8 billion in grants between 2012 and 2022, with a significant increase in funding in 2018 and 2022.

The majority of spending on unaccompanied minors took place in Texas ($7.8 billion), followed by New York ($1.4 billion) and Florida ($660 million). The largest recipients of grants were Southwest Key Programs ($3.7 billion), and Baptist Child & Family Services ($3.1 billion).Reports indicate that up to 85,000 sponsored children are missing, and their locations are unknown. The ORR has failed to contact most children one month after being placed with sponsors. It also faces criticism for not conducting background checks on employees and contractors involved in caring for the children.