Migrant Minors’ Deportations Preparations Underway

Publicado el 27/02/2025 a las 12:44

Are Migrant Minors at Risk?
Over 600,000 Have Crossed Alone
Organizations Denounce Contradictory Measures

Mass deportations under President Donald Trump’s administration continue.

According to a memo obtained by Reuters, ICE agents (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) have been instructed to track unaccompanied minors to determine whether they should appear in court or be deported if they have an exile order.

According to El País, since 2019, approximately 600,000 children have entered the United States alone through the Mexico border.

Of those, 32,000 are currently unaccounted for after failing to appear for their court hearings.

Preparations Underway for Migrant Minors’ Deportations

The government has ordered ICE to track minors who entered the U.S. alone, according to a Reuters report. https://t.co/5ms8b2n67m

– Univision Noticias (@uninoticias) February 24, 2025

However, the actual figure is believed to be much higher, as over 290,000 children have not received official court summons.

Shaina Aber, Executive Director of the Acacia Justice Center, has been advocating for the 26,000 unaccompanied migrant minors currently in the U.S.

“Denying children legal protection and accelerating deportations only makes them more vulnerable to threats like exploitation, trafficking, and the very harm they were trying to escape.”

The Trump administration argues that tracking these children aims to prevent them from falling into human trafficking networks.

However, human rights organizations view the measure as contradictory, particularly after a recent initiative to revoke legal representation for migrant minors in immigration courts.

That order was revoked just three days later after a wave of criticism from migrant rights advocates and protests directed at Congress.

ICE has categorized the minors into three groups: «flight risk,» «public safety,» and «border security,» according to El Tiempo.

The search will focus on minors labeled as «flight risk», including those who missed their court hearings and those who were placed with sponsors who are not related to them.

According to ICE, if Border Patrol encounters these migrant minors, they will be referred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which is responsible for transferring them to family members or sponsors.

However, in most cases, those claiming custody are also undocumented, creating even more uncertainty about the children’s future.

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