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 ORR said the new policy was necessary "to build a culture of child safety and accountability." Advocates say they fear use of the database for immigration enforcement against sponsor families.

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 Notices to Appear (NTAs); and as of October 2024, 43,000 children with served NTAs failed to appear at their immigration-court hearings. The report also states ICE received insufficient information about children's "status and safety."

The report contains four recommendations to improve 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 NTAs for unaccompanied children; and (4) update existing guidance to clarify how ICE ERO officers should elevate concerns about children's safety or circumstances.

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. 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 told ICE they need a court order or a warrant.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.08.08 Reported: Federal law enforcement to begin interviewing unaccompanied migrant children in government custody - CNN

CNN reports that the Trump administration has informed shelters operated by ORR that federal law enforcement agents will soon begin in-person interviews with unaccompanied migrant children in custody. According to the notice sent to shelter operators, the interviews are part of an “ongoing effort to identify and root out potential criminal activity.” The interviews will be conducted by an interagency federal team including officials from DHS and HHS. It is unclear how many children will be interviewed and whether the children will be permitted to have an attorney present.