U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has launched a nationwide law enforcement initiative aimed at protecting the estimated 450,000 unaccompanied children (UAC) who crossed the border and were placed with sponsors under the previous administration, many of whom were reportedly unvetted.
The new program, dubbed the UAC Safety Verification Initiative, partners ICE with state and local 287(g) law enforcement agencies to conduct welfare checks on these vulnerable children, a move the administration states is critical to prevent sexual abuse and labor exploitation.
The initiative kicked off on November 10 in Florida and is set to roll out across the country.
The Trump administration is framing the initiative as a decisive action against human trafficking, arguing that the previous administration’s “open border policies empowered human and sex traffickers.”
“Secretary Noem is leading efforts to rescue and stop the exploitation of the 450,000 unaccompanied children the Biden administration lost or placed with unvetted sponsors,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “President Trump and Secretary Noem are laser-focused on protecting children and will continue to work with federal, state, and local law enforcement.”
READ: Illegal Immigrant Arrested For Stealing Texas Child’s Identity, Costing Him Medicaid Benefits
McLaughlin noted that the administration has already located more than 24,400 of these children in person through welfare visits and “door knocks.”
The initiative’s primary focus is the safety of the children, which involves checks to ensure they are not being abused or exploited. ICE administrative immigration arrests made as a result of the program have highlighted serious criminal activity among some sponsors.
ICE reports administrative immigration arrests of sponsors for a range of felony and criminal offenses, including:
- Sexual Assault/Abuse: An arrest in Maryland for rape of an unaccompanied child, and an arrest in Massachusetts for enticement of a child under 16 and possession of child sexual abuse material.
- Human Trafficking & Violent Crime: In Texas, a sponsor was arrested for human trafficking and statutory rape, with the 14-year-old unaccompanied child pregnant with the sponsor’s baby. Other arrests were made for attempted murder (North Carolina) and attempted aggravated homicide (New Jersey).
- Assault and Domestic Violence: Arrests for felony aggravated assault (Arizona), assault (Florida and Nevada), and domestic violence (Georgia).
The administration emphasized that the “whole-of-government approach” utilizing partnerships like the 287(g) task force model is essential for achieving the goal of child safety.
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