Ice seeking out unaccompanied immigrant children to deport or prosecute

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) officials are seeking out unaccompanied immigrant children in operations nationwide with a view to deporting them or pursuing criminal cases against them or adult sponsors sheltering them legally in the US, according to sources and an Ice document.

The moves are sparking fears of a crackdown on such children and prompting alarm about what one critic called “backdoor family separation”.

In recent months, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Ice have begun engaging in “welfare checks” on children who arrived in the US alone, usually via the US-Mexico border, to “ensure that they are safe and not being exploited”, according to a DHS spokesperson.


Although DHS is characterizing the welfare visits as benevolent, an internal Ice document accessed by the National Immigration Project advocacy group and then shared shows Ice is also seeking out children who came into the US alone as immigrants – and their US-based sponsors – for immigration enforcement purposes and/or to pursue criminal prosecutions. The recent operations and document confirm a February report from Reuters, that the Trump administration has directed Ice to track down and deport this group.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/28/ice-unaccompanied-immigrant-children

These kids could be walking to school, babysitting younger siblings while their parents work, etc. These are NOT innocent "welfare checks". They are kidnappings!