Latest news with #unaccompaniedminors
Fox News
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Border crisis under Biden reveals shocking abuse of migrant children placed with unvetted sponsors: DHS
The Department of Homeland Security is pulling back the curtain on widespread abuse and exploitation of unaccompanied minors who crossed the U.S. border during the last administration and were placed with unvetted sponsors. DHS launched a national child welfare initiative in February to identify and locate at-risk kids who may have been placed with improperly vetted or unvetted sponsors — some of whom had been paid off by smugglers — when they came to the United States. "Children's safety and security is non-negotiable," ICE spokesperson Laszlo Baksay said in a statement. "The previous administration's failure to implement meaningful safeguards has allowed vulnerable kids to fall into the hands of criminals. Our special agents are working tirelessly to locate these alien children, ensure their protection, and hold accountable those who have abused the system." DHS added that since the agency launched its child welfare initiative, officials have discovered sponsors in possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), sponsors who forced minors into labor, and sponsors who subjected children to neglectful living conditions. In addition, officials also traced the records of sponsors previously convicted of serious crimes ranging from hit-and-runs and attempted murder to prostitution and drug trafficking. In some of "the most disturbing cases," sponsors falsely claiming to be the family members of unaccompanied minor girls impregnated those girls when they were placed in their sponsors' care, according to DHS and Chris Clem, former U.S. Border Patrol chief at the Yuma, Arizona, sector. Clem helped advise the Trump administration's Health and Human Services Department on solutions for unaccompanied minors during the president's first 100 days in office. "Regardless of the ideologues that are out there, accounting for these children is critical." "While that had begun on Inauguration Day, because of the backlog of cases, the information … was poor at best in so many of these instances," Clem said of the child welfare initiative. "It was taking more time. And so we put a lot of things in place that … everything is lining up. … There should be zero controversy regarding protecting the children. Regardless of the ideologues that are out there, accounting for these children is critical." Clem added that as a former Border Patrol agent and chief, he knew there were issues "that were not being addressed" regarding unaccompanied minors during the last administration, when millions of illegal immigrants entered the country from the southern border. The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which argues for lower levels of immigration overall, estimates that as of March 2025, there were approximately 18.6 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S., representing a population that has grown by approximately 28.2% or 4.1 million since December 2020. This week, new Border Patrol data revealed that zero migrants were released into the United States in May, signaling an overwhelming turnaround since 62,000 were released into the country under the Biden administration at the same time last year. "We knew from a law enforcement perspective, our job was to do the immediate safety check, and then we had to process the kids and place them in custody of Office of Refugee [Resettlement]. Now, what happened from there, we didn't have specifics, but we knew … it was government. … We knew there [were] probably problems — the vetting and being able to ask questions to the kids was never something we were really allowed to do." Clem said the "expectation of the American public that our government is serving the kids in the best interest was absolutely necessary." "So that's why it's important to me, because it's protecting children, and it's doing what the majority of Americans expect us to do as a government — and that's, at the very least, take care of these children," the former Border Patrol chief said. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents have been conducting welfare checks on migrant children who crossed the border unaccompanied. The welfare checks are designed to assess the children's situations and ensure they are receiving appropriate care and not being abused or trafficked, according to DHS. "Our agents are doing what should've been done all along: protecting children, not pushing them into the shadows," Baksay said. "This is the responsibility of any government, Republican or Democrat, but it was the Trump administration that insisted on rigorous sponsor screening and biometric verification. Those guardrails were dismantled, and we're now seeing the consequences." If an ICE HSI officer encounters adults living in the United States illegally, they will take those people into custody and process them for removal, while unaccompanied children living in the United States illegally are transferred to Office of Refugee Resettlement custody, DHS said.
Irish Times
14-06-2025
- Irish Times
Tusla thinks missing 12-year-old is safe and in UK
A 12-year-old child who went missing from State care in 2023 is thought to be 'safe' in the United Kingdom, according to Tusla . In a statement to The Irish Times the agency said the child, whose whereabouts were unclear on Thursday night, had 'absconded' from Tusla's care soon after arriving into Ireland in March 2023, having indicated a plan to join family in the United Kingdom. Tusla, the Child and Family, later contacted a relative of the child in the UK who 'indicated' the child was 'safe' though no social worker spoke to the child directly. Since January 2023, up to 11th June, 30 children who have gone missing from Tusla's care remain unaccounted for. READ MORE In that time 123 children have gone missing from Tusla's care. Of these 65 have been found or accounted for, 28 have since turned 18 and their files closed, with 30 children still missing. The 12-year-old child is one of among 50 unaccompanied minors – children who arrive into the State alone and seeking international protection – found reported as missing during an inspection of Tusla's Separated Children Seeking International Protection (SCSIP) service The Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa), which inspected the service over four days in January and February, published its report on Thursday morning. When asked whether this child had been recovered safely, by Thursday evening Tusla was still unable to say. In a statement just issued it said: 'The child arrived in Rosslare in March 2023 with three others, including one adult. The child provided contact details for a relative in the UK and indicated they planned to travel there, though the child gave no clear intention to do so immediately. 'The child absconded from SCSIP offices while staff were arranging a placement and interpreters. 'The child was reported missing immediately to An Garda Síochána and contact was maintained with gardaí. The strategy was not convened within the recommended timelines. 'However, this was rectified once Hiqa brought the matter to our attention. This delay has been acknowledged, and systems have been strengthened to ensure more timely responses. 'Tusla acknowledges that the convening of the formal strategy meeting in this case was unacceptably delayed,' the statement said. In general, the agency said, if a child or young person reported missing is intercepted in Northern Ireland, Tusla is informed through An Garda Síochána's co-ordination with the Police Service of Northern Ireland. In its report, Hiqa said data at the time of the inspection indicated 'approximately 30 children [were] missing and remained unaccounted for ... and 27 children had been reported missing at various stages and returned to their placements' In one case, a 12-year-old child had gone missing more than 18 months before the inspection. 'There was no records (sic) of strategy meetings held with An Garda Siochana, or of contact with UK or Northern Ireland counterparts in order to share information in an effort to locate this child since that time'. In another case, where a 14-year-old had been reported missing from care more than six months previously, a strategy meeting was requested by the principal social worker, but this occurred 'five months after the child was reported missing ... and there was no evidence of liaison with counterparts in neighbouring jurisdictions'. Tusla said that while the report identified 'serious risks and challenges', it also recognised 'meaningful progress made since the previous inspection in November 2023. 'Tusla remains concerned for the welfare of any child missing from its care. The Agency maintains active engagement with An Garda Síochána and continues all possible efforts to contact and trace missing young people,' it said. The agency said children who went missing from the SCSIP service were predominantly 16 and 17-year-old males, from countries such as Afghanistan, Somalia, and Ukraine. 'Some communicate their intention to travel to the UK or other EU countries to join family members or relatives and indicate it was never their intention to stay in Ireland. 'In a small number of cases, they contact the service after absconding to confirm their wellbeing but do not disclose their location. Where a young person's location cannot be formally verified, they remain listed as missing with An Garda Síochána. Once they turn 18 years old, Tusla formally closes their case, but they remain under Garda missing person protocols.'
The Guardian
05-06-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Trump's unprecedented immigration crackdown is leaving children terrified and ‘truly alone'
A 10-year-old girl showed up for a routine check-in about her immigration case – and agents cuffed and detained her mother on the spot. A 14-year-old boy was shaken out of bed at 6am when plainclothes officers showed up, unannounced, at his door for what the agents claimed was a 'wellness check'. A 17-year-old girl has been detained for months with her newborn baby due to new restrictions on who can sponsor unaccompanied minor immigrants. Hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied children have arrived at the US southern border in recent years, seeking refuge. The Trump administration is now targeting them – and their caregivers – for deportation. In the past few months, the administration has enacted a series of punitive policies to expedite the removal of unaccompanied minors and strip them of legal representation. It has attempted to tear down the basic rights and protections for children under the government's care, while simultaneously issuing new restrictions on who can take custody of them – leaving children to languish in detention. In several troubling cases across the US, advocates say the children are being used as 'bait' to arrest and deport the adults around them. Taken together, advocates and lawyers say the changes represent a terrifying new strategy in the government's crackdown on immigrants, designed to instill fear and chaos in families. 'The level and intensity of the attacks on children that we're seeing currently is unprecedented in my legal career, which has spanned over 10 years,' said Marion Donovan-Kaloust, director of legal services at the Immigrant Defenders law center (ImmDef). 'It's not just one thing – it's a concentrated attack on children from so many different angles. And it's really shocking to the conscience.' Children who come to the US without their parents – classified as 'unaccompanied minors' by the government – have always been among the most vulnerable people navigating the US immigration system. Some, fleeing poverty, war, gangs, violence or environmental catastrophes in their home countries, have made the journey alone. Others become separated from their parents or guardians along the way. During Joe Biden's administration, when record numbers of children were arriving at the southern border, human rights advocates and internal government monitors raised alarms that children were held in overcrowded, jail-like facilities. Now, Donovan-Kaloust said, the Trump administration is attempting to strip these children of basic human rights and legal protections – exposing them to harm and isolating them from loved ones and lawyers who can advocate for their needs. 'Our team works with unaccompanied children every day who are detained, and we're seeing an incredible increase in just the emotional distress that the children are expressing,' said Donovan-Kaloust. 'They're talking about how they're not able to sleep, not able to eat. They're crying a lot, unable to participate in attorney-client meetings.' In Santa Paula, California, one family experienced the compounding consequences of the administration's new policies. Maria, the primary caregiver and sponsor for her 10-year-old daughter who had arrived in the US as an unaccompanied minor, didn't have any legal status in the US. But she had submitted all the required documents to show that she was a safe caregiver, provided fingerprints and opened her home up for vetting from officials at the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). On 2 April, she took her daughter in for a routine check-in at a nearby immigration office. Agents arrested her on the spot. 'They arrested her in front of her 10-year-old,' said Primitiva Hernandez, the Executive Director of 805 UndocuFund – a nonprofit that has been helping the family navigate their immigration cases. Within hours, Maria was transferred to a detention center in Otay Mesa – nearly five hours away. When volunteers from 805 UndocuFund realized what had happened they rushed to help Maria's mother, Lilia, drive over to the immigration office and pick up her granddaughter. Lilia also took custody of Maria's two-year-old son. The Guardian is not printing the women's last names, or naming the children, in order to protect their safety and privacy. After Maria's arrest, things took a turn for the worse. Lilia's case for asylum in the US was denied, and she was told to return to Mexico immediately. 'I have to leave, because if I don't leave, they'll come looking for me,' Lilia said in a video message she shared with the Guardian. Her granddaughter was already distraught after seeing her mother cuffed, and whisked away by agents. Immigration and Customs Enforcement knew where she lived – she didn't doubt they'd come knocking. 'I have two children at home. I want to spare them the trauma,' she said. 'My little girl keeps crying because of how they grabbed her mother…I want to stay for my daughter and my grandchildren, but I just can't.' The children were sent to stay with other family members – but some of those relatives are immigrants too, and they worry they could be targeted for enforcement next. Advocates say that these sorts of cases exemplify how unaccompanied children are becoming both targets for immigration enforcement – and collateral, as immigration agents move to seek and arrest the adults who care for them. In a leaked Ice document, agents were instructed to first locate children who have been released by ORR into the care of relatives, and then evaluate whether they can be removed from the country. Officers are advised to seek out 'unaccompanied alien children (UAC)' who could pose potential threats to public safety, and to look for 'UAC with gang or terrorist ties/activities', according to the document. Ice officers were also told to both remove children who may have missed an immigration appointment, and to target sponsors who are not of blood relations. At the same time, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has enlisted the FBI and other criminal investigators to conduct 'wellness checks' on children and young people who came to the US without their parents – alarming and unsettling children who have encountered armed agents at their homes. In New York, plainclothes officers banged on a mother's door at 6.30am one morning in April, asking to speak to her 14-year-old son, who had entered the US as an unaccompanied minor. 'It didn't cross my mind that it was immigration,' she told the Guardian. 'I opened the door and one of them showed me the phone and there was a photo of my son.' So, she woke him up – and they asked him some questions. Later, they said something about a pending court hearing – but her son didn't have any upcoming hearings because his petition for asylum had been approved. The Trump administration has said these surprise visits are meant to ensure that the children 'are safe and not being exploited', according to a DHS spokesperson. Trump has falsely accused the previous administration of losing more than 300,000 migrant children, claiming that they are 'slaves, sex slaves or dead'. Agents have even shown up on school campuses. In April, federal officials with DHS attempted to enter two elementary schools in Los Angeles and asked to speak with five students – but school officials denied them entry. 'What interest should a Homeland Security agent have in a first grader or a second grader? A third grader or a fourth grader, for that matter?' said Alberto Carvalho, then-superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified school district. Advocates say the visits have done little other than unnerve families. 'Ice is basically using those addresses from the Office of Refugee Resettlement to go door to door and instill terror,' said Ann Garcia, staff attorney at the National Immigration Project. The government has struggled for years to shelter and care for the thousands of unaccompanied minors who arrive in the US. But the Trump administration is exacerbating the problem by making it exceedingly difficult for relatives to take custody of children in ORR facilities. Under new policies implemented in January, anyone seeking to sponsor unaccompanied minors will have to meet stringent new requirements for DNA testing and documentation. It has become nearly impossible for undocumented people to take custody of their children. In a lawsuit challenging the policies, advocacy groups said the 'changes have resulted in children across the country being separated from their loving families, while the government denies their release, unnecessarily prolonging their detention.' One of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit is a 17-year-old girl, referred to as Angelica, who arrived pregnant at the US southern border in November. ORR has refused to release her – and her newborn baby – to her older sister Deisy's custody, because her sister did not have required documentation, including a passport with an attached immigration document. Some of the other relatives Deisy has approached to sponsor Angelica have been too afraid to provide their information to ORR, fearing that the agency will share information with immigration enforcement agencies. Another plaintiff, 14-year-old Eduardo, has been held with his 7-year-old brother in a transitional foster care program for months, while his mother Rosa has tried to submit all the documents needed to take custody of them. 'It's heartbreaking,' said Donovan-Kaloust of ImmDef. 'These are children in pain, they don't understand why they can't be with their families. And we can't really explain it to them, because there's not a good justification for what the government's doing.' Meanwhile, the government has tried to wrench funding for programs that provide legal representation for unaccompanied immigrant children – leaving tens of thousands of infants, toddlers and teenagers to represent themselves in immigration court. After ImmDef and other legal aid non-profits sued to challenge the move, a judge ordered the administration to temporarily restore the funding – saying that denying children legal counsel violated an anti-trafficking law – but the administration has aggressively appealed. Already, only about 50% of unaccompanied children have any legal representation in immigration court. Now, advocates say toddlers and teens alike are increasingly having to appear before an immigration judge by themselves – with little understanding of what is going on. Judges, meanwhile, are left to explain to confused kindergarteners and intimidated teens that the government of the US will decide whether they have to leave, or whether they can stay. Children without lawyers are much more likely to be deported. 'These children are truly alone. They have no one to speak for them,' Donovan-Kaloust said. At the same time, the government has tried to more swiftly remove unaccompanied children from the US, scheduling deportation hearings almost immediately after they are taken into ORR custody – sometimes before they have had a chance to recover from their journeys, she said. 'There's so many things happening right now,' Donovan-Kaloust said. 'So the attacks are layered on top of each other in such a way that everything is priority – at a time when our resources to respond are being systematically curtailed by the administration.'
The Independent
28-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
A migrant boat capsizes upon arrival at Spain's Canary Islands and 7 people die
A boat carrying migrants capsized within reach of shore as it arrived at Spain's Canary Islands on Wednesday and four women and three girls drowned, authorities said. In the chaotic scene at El Hierro 's port, survivors clung to ropes and life preservers tossed by rescuers. Spain's maritime rescue service said the boat tipped over as rescuers started removing young people onto a rescue craft positioned between the migrant one and the quay. The movement of people on the boat caused it to turn over, the service said. Local media said the small boat appeared to be packed with over 100 people. A helicopter evacuated two other children, a girl and a boy, to a hospital in serious condition after they nearly drowned, the service added. 'The drama witnessed on El Hierro should move us all, (those) lives were lost in an attempt to find a better future,' Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on social media. The Spanish archipelago located off Africa's western coast has for years been a main route for migrants who risk their lives in dinghies and rubber boats unfit for long journeys in the open sea. Thousands have been known to die on the way to European territory. Nearly 47,000 people who made the crossing last year reached the archipelago, surpassing previous records for a second time. Most were citizens of Mali, Senegal and Morocco, with many boarding boats to Spain from the coast of Mauritania. The arrivals include thousands of unaccompanied minors. Some 10,800 people had arrived via the Atlantic to the Canary Islands by mid-May, down by 34% compared to the same period in 2024. ___ Follow the AP's coverage of migration issues at
The Independent
28-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Women and children killed after migrant boat capsizes in Canary Islands
A migrant boat capsized upon arrival at El Hierro in the Canary Islands, resulting in the deaths of four women and three girls, Spanish emergency services have said. The maritime rescue service reported the boat, carrying more than 100 people, was located approximately 6 miles (9.6 kilometers) from the shore on Wednesday. As rescuers began evacuating minors upon reaching the dock, the boat tipped over, throwing all passengers into the water. According to emergency services, the deceased include four women, a teenage girl, and two younger girls. A rescue diver discovered one of the girls. Two more children, a girl and a boy, were airlifted to a nearby hospital in critical condition following near-drowning, the service added. Spanish rescuers and Red Cross members were involved in extracting people from the water. The Spanish archipelago located off Africa's western coast has for years been a main route for migrants who risk their lives in dinghies and rubber boats unfit for long journeys in the open sea. Thousands have been known to die on the way to European territory. Nearly 47,000 people who made the crossing last year reached the archipelago, surpassing previous records for a second time. Most were citizens of Mali, Senegal and Morocco, with many boarding boats to Spain from the coast of Mauritania. The arrivals include thousands of unaccompanied minors.
