Copyright Bloomberg
The Trump administration is laying the groundwork to establish a privately run call center that would help local law enforcement track down unaccompanied immigrant children, a move advocates worry will increase family separations and lead to the arrests of vulnerable kids. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement outlined its plans Tuesday in a request for information, saying the agency had “an immediate need” to establish a call center to coordinate with state and local authorities. Such requests are not a formal call for bids and don’t guarantee a future contract, though they offer a window into what federal agencies are hoping to source from private companies. ICE said initial operations would begin by the end of March, with full operations by the end of June. The request is the latest sign of a shift in how the administration treats children who migrated to the US without their parents or guardians. These minors mostly come from Central America and are often fleeing violence or abuse. They traditionally have been cared for by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, until they can be placed with a US-based sponsor. That process is run out of ORR, rather than the Department of Homeland Security, to focus on child welfare rather than immigration enforcement. Soon after Trump’s return to office, though, federal agents from ICE, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI began showing up at the homes of unaccompanied children who had already been placed with US-based sponsors, including close relatives. Some of those interactions have resulted in immigration arrests.
