ICE Cannot Effectively Monitor the Location and Status of All Unaccompanied Alien Children After Federal Custody.

By U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General

We incorporated the formal comments provided by your office. The report contains four recommendations aimed at improving ICE’s ability to monitor the location and status of unaccompanied alien children. Your office concurred with all four recommendations. Based on information provided in your response to the draft report, we consider recommendations 1 through 4 open and resolved. Once your office has fully implemented the recommendations, please submit a formal closeout letter to us within 30 days so that we may close the recommendations. The memorandum should be accompanied by evidence of completion of agreed-upon corrective actions.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of UACs enter the United States illegally. Public concern for the safety of UACs has continued as the U.S. media has reported on trafficking, exploitation, forced labor, and other criminal activities. ICE is responsible for managing and monitoring the immigration cases of these children once they are released from DHS’ custody. We conducted this audit to determine ICE’s ability to monitor the location and status of UACs once released or transferred from DHS and HHS’ custody

Washington DC: OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL U.S. Department of Homeland Security , 2025. 27p.