Venezuelan immigrants walked through a razor after crossing Rio Grande on September 26, 2023 at Eagle Pass, Texas.
Brian Snyder | Reuters
Two sources familiar with the plan said Trump administration immigration officials are planning a nationwide action to locate and possibly deport children without parents or legal guardians. If a judge determines that they have no legal basis to stay in the United States, they can be placed on the road to deportation.
Two sources familiar with the program told NBC News that the exact timing of the operation is not final, but may begin this week. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will look for children without parents and have no immigration dates to appear in court, they said.
Reuters Sunday report A memorandum was circulated among the immigration agents instructing them to strengthen law enforcement for unaccompanied children.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Refugee Resettlement Office temporarily shelters unaccompanied immigrant children after crossing the southern border, and then connects them to sponsors in the United States. The agency contracts with groups that follow up on child benefits and most often conducts 30-day check-in via phone.
Sources familiar with the action plan said the ICE will focus on sponsors not taking calls from children who do not have a 30-day boarding phone and have no court dates.
Republicans, including Donald Trump, have repeatedly criticized the Biden administration for what they call “missing children” crossing the border without parents and being released to court without notice. To alleviate the overcrowding of HHS refugee resettlement facilities, Biden and the first Trump administration sometimes release before giving their children a court date.
According to a report by the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General in August 2024, more than 291,000 children crossing the border, including the first Trump administration, have not received notices of appearing in court since the 2019 fiscal year.
NBC News’ comments on HHS data show that areas in the country with large numbers of immigrant children are sent to areas residing by sponsors reviewed by the Refugee Residents’ Office, including Maricopa County, Arizona; Los Angeles County, California; and Miami-Dade County, Florida ; and Prince George County, Maryland.
Mellissa Harper, a former ICE official, now leads the Trump administration’s refugee resettlement office. The office previously guaranteed sponsors that they could step up and answer calls for check-in without worrying that their information would be shared with the ICE.
Officials say that according to the current government, there is no such wall that prohibits information sharing.
Attorneys representing unaccompanied children in immigration court told NBC News on anonymity that the immigration system could be further submerged by more children on the case file. They noted that Trump has cut legal aid services for unaccompanied children, so increasing cases could mean more children if they are not represented in immigration courts.
“Legal services (for immigrant children) are not only to be kind to children, but also to ensure that the system is effective. If they go to the NTA more, they need resources for that system.” Appeared in court
