A critical report from the DHS Office of Inspector General reveals that ICE struggles to effectively monitor unaccompanied minors after their release from DHS/HHS custody, resulting in many missing court dates or lacking scheduled hearings altogether. The findings indicate that from 2019 to 2023, over 32,000 children failed to attend their hearings, while more than 291,000 did not receive their necessary court notifications.
While the Office of Refugee Resettlement is tasked with the care of unaccompanied children, ICE is still responsible for overseeing their immigration cases.
The report urges ICE to take swift action, highlighting the increased risk of trafficking, exploitation, or forced labor faced by these vulnerable children. In response, ICE stated that unaccompanied minors do not receive their Notices to Appear until they are placed with a sponsor. Notably, the Biden administration has admitted nearly twice as many unaccompanied children into the U.S. compared to the previous six years across two different administrations.
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