ICE to crack down on sponsorship of unaccompanied children

Politico Pro

By Ted Hesson

May 08, 2018

ICE to crack down on sponsorship of unaccompanied children

The Homeland Security Department will check the immigration status of possible sponsors of unaccompanied children and adult household members, according to a proposed rule published in the Federal Register Monday.

Under the proposal, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would collect biometric data of sponsors and any adults in their household, a departure from the previous policy.

The record-keeping change could erect a new roadblock to family reunification for undocumented immigrant parents and children — a move that worries advocates of children and immigrants.

Since the new record collection would encompass all adults in a household, it could make any undocumented immigrant in a potential sponsor’s household a possible target for arrest, or at least stoke fears, according to Michelle Brané, director of the Migrant Rights and Justice program at the Women’s Refugee Commission.

“This will discourage parents from coming forward and make it more difficult for kids to be released from [federal] custody,” she said.

The planned changes follow a new information-sharing agreement between DHS and HHS, which first surfaced during a Senate subcommittee hearing in late April.

During the hearing, Steven Wagner, acting assistant secretary at HHS’ Administration for Children and Families, said the changes would help protect children from potentially dangerous situations.

He cited a 2015 case where minors were released to traffickers and forced to work at Ohio egg farms. “We want to make sure that’s never repeated,” Wagner said.

The record-keeping proposal comes after an announcement Monday that DHS will refer 100 percent of suspected border-crossers to the Justice Department for prosecution under an illegal entry statute, a practice that could split up families arriving at the border and increase the number of children classified as unaccompanied minors.

The new measures — along with existing practices of separating families at the border — could increase the number of unaccompanied minors if migration patterns continue at current levels.

The system to house unaccompanied minors has already reached 86 percent capacity, according to data shared with POLITICO by a DHS official.

The data, from May 6, show that 9,030 beds were filled and only 1,430 were still open. At the current rate, the Office of Refugee Resettlement will reach its maximum operational capacity within two weeks, the official told POLITICO.

In response, DHS spokesman Tyler Houlton said that “until Congress takes action to close devastating open border loopholes, the administration is committed to providing the resources necessary to address the crisis at our southwest border.”

For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com