Original Date Announced

NPR reports multiple ICE officers have been granted access to information in the Office of Refugee Resettlement's (ORR) unaccompanied minors (UAC) database. Although ICE juvenile coordinators have always had access to ORR's UAC database, additional ICE personnel, not "trained in laws and regulations related to unaccompanied alien children," have now been granted access. This change occurs just as ORR published new guidance requiring fingerprinting for all adult sponsors and adult household members prior to release of a minor.

The acting director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement said the new policy was necessary "to build a culture of child safety and accountability." Advocates say they fear the administration will use the database for immigration enforcement against families who take in UACs.

A Memorandum of Agreement for information sharing between DHS and ORR was in place during the first Trump administration, but was terminated and replaced during the Biden administration.

Trump 2.0 [ID #1544]

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.03.25 DHS OIG - ICE Cannot Effectively Monitor Location and Status of Unaccompanied Children

DHS' Office of Inspector General published a report finding that ICE cannot effectively monitor the location and status of all unaccompanied children once released or transferred from DHS and HHS custody. The report states that 31,000 children released from HHS custody between 2019 and 2023 had missing or incomplete release addresses in their records; as of January 2025, 233,000 children had not been served with NTAs; and as of October 2024, 43,000 children who had been served NTAs failed to appear at their immigration court hearings. Additionally, the report states ICE received insufficient information about children's "status and safety."

The report contains four recommendations aimed at improving ICE’s ability to monitor unaccompanied children: (1) review and revise information-sharing agreements between ICE and HHS; (2) develop and implement a process to review ICE system data and identify inaccurate or incomplete data; (3) develop and implement a plan to address the backlog of unserved Notices to Appear for unaccompanied children; and (4) update existing guidance to clarify how ICE ERO officers should elevate concerns regarding the safety or circumstances of unaccompanied children.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.04.12 Reported: Immigration agents turned away after trying to enter LA elementary schools - Independent

The Independent reports that DHS officers attempted welfare checks on five immigrant children at two elementary schools in Los Angeles, California. DHS stated that agents “were at these schools conducting wellness checks on children who arrived unaccompanied at the border. This had nothing to do with immigration enforcement.” Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the officers falsely claimed they had parental authorization to contact the children; school officials at the schools told ICE they would need a court order or a warrant.