1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Protection of Children Act of 2023 . 2. Repatriation of unaccompanied alien children (a) In general Section 235 of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 ( 8 U.S.C. 1232 ) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)— (A) in paragraph (2)— (i) by amending the heading to read as follows: Rules for unaccompanied alien children.— ; (ii) in subparagraph (A)— (I) in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking who is a national or habitual resident of a country that is contiguous with the United States ; (II) in clause (i), by inserting and at the end; (III) in clause (ii), by striking ; and and inserting a period; and (IV) by striking clause (iii); and (iii) in subparagraph (B)— (I) in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking ( 8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq. ) may— and inserting ( 8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq. )— ; (II) in clause (i), by inserting before permit such child to withdraw the following: may ; and (III) in clause (ii), by inserting before return such child the following: shall ; and (B) in paragraph (5)(D)— (i) in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking , except for an unaccompanied alien child from a contiguous country subject to the exceptions under subsection (a)(2), and inserting who does not meet the criteria listed in paragraph (2)(A) ; and (ii) in clause (i), by inserting before the semicolon at the end the following: , which shall include a hearing before an immigration judge not later than 14 days after being screened under paragraph (4) ; (2) in subsection (b)— (A) in paragraph (2)— (i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting before the semicolon the following: believed not to meet the criteria listed in subsection (a)(2)(A) ; and (ii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting before the period the following: and does not meet the criteria listed in subsection (a)(2)(A)