ICE, Partners Launch Initiative to Protect 450,000 Children From Unvetted Sponsors

The Department of Homeland Security said the Trump administration has so far located more than 24,400 of these children across the country.

A migrant child awaits to be processed by Border Patrol agents in Otay Mesa, Calif., on Feb. 29, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) launched an initiative aimed at protecting 450,000 unaccompanied children (UAC) who were illegally smuggled into the United States, and then placed with unvetted sponsors during the Biden administration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement on Nov. 14.

ICE is carrying out the UAC Safety Verification Initiative in partnership with state and local law enforcement agencies under the 287(g) program, DHS said. The 287(g) program allows local and state law enforcement to enforce certain aspects of federal immigration law.