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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – In a move that amplifies the ongoing deportation strategy of the Trump administration, immigration authorities are being instructed to locate and apprehend hundreds of thousands of migrant children who have entered the United States unaccompanied. This directive was revealed in an internal memorandum obtained by Reuters.
The memo from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) details an extensive initiative primarily aimed at unaccompanied minors who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. It outlines a four-phase implementation process that commenced with planning on January 27, although a specific date for the start of enforcement actions was not mentioned.
Since 2019, the number of migrant children arriving in the U.S. without a parent or legal guardian has surpassed 600,000, reflecting a significant increase as border crossings have surged. Tens of thousands of these children have received deportation orders, with more than 31,000 attributed to non-appearances at court hearings, based on immigration court statistics.
Neither the U.S. Department of Homeland Security nor ICE provided comments regarding the memo or the broader deportation strategies of the Trump administration.
The previous administration’s enforcement of a “zero tolerance” policy resulted in numerous instances of family separations at the border, sending children to shelters managed by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) while their parents faced detention or removal. This approach sparked considerable global criticism, leading to the policy’s suspension in 2018. Reports indicate that up to 1,000 children may still be separated from their families, according to Lee Gelernt, a prominent attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union.
The initiative described in the memo—titled the “Unaccompanied Alien Children Joint Initiative Field Implementation”—not only seeks to enforce immigration regulations but also aims to protect children from potential human trafficking and exploitation.
According to the memo, children lacking legal backing could face deportation or receive notices to appear in immigration court if removal orders are already in place.
ICE has categorized unaccompanied minors into three priority classifications based on “flight risk,” “public safety,” and “border security,” specifically instructing agents to prioritize cases involving children classified as “flight risks.” These include minors with deportation orders for failing to appear in court or those placed with non-relatives.
The agency is utilizing various government records and databases to track down these individuals.
Legally, children who have exhausted their options for remaining in the U.S. can be deported, but typically, enforcement priorities focus on adults with criminal histories due to limited resources available for immigration enforcement.
The influx of unaccompanied children has been linked to escalating violence and economic turmoil in their countries, particularly in Central America and Mexico, alongside U.S. immigration policies that have historically made entry possible.
Once in the custody of ORR, children are typically reunited with sponsors, who are often family members, while immigration cases are processed.
Former Trump administration officials have raised alarms about the supposed disappearance of approximately 300,000 unaccompanied minors during Biden’s presidency, suggesting these children may be vulnerable to trafficking. The ORR, however, is not mandated to actively track these children after they leave government care, with many now adults or living with relatives.
The enforcement directives laid out in the memo empower ICE field offices to devise strategies for locating and serving immigration documents to these minors based on individual situations.
Children commonly reside with adults who may be undocumented, providing ICE with additional leads for broader arrest operations.
During his initial term, Trump’s administration relied on data from investigations of sponsors to pursue arrests.
Currently, under the Trump administration’s directives, sponsors and household members are now required to submit fingerprints for background checks.
Additionally, the administration has enlarged its access to ORR’s database, facilitating tighter scrutiny over unaccompanied minors and their sponsors.
Mellissa Harper, an ex-ICE official and current head of ORR, indicated plans to utilize DNA testing to verify familial links, though it remained unclear whether such testing would be a commonplace practice or reserved for specific cases of concern.
Harper highlighted that ICE is pursuing 247,000 leads related to potential fraud, trafficking, and smuggling involving unaccompanied minors, with many cases being referred to the FBI for further investigation.
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