OIG Drops Alarming Unaccompanied Minor Report Stats

According to the recent DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) report you referenced, significant issues have been identified regarding the tracking and monitoring of unaccompanied minors (referred to as Unaccompanied Alien Children or UACs) who entered the United States since 2019. Here’s a breakdown of the key findings from the report:

- **Volume of UACs**: From fiscal years 2019 to 2023, ICE transferred more than 448,000 UACs to the custody of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). These children typically enter the country without a parent or legal guardian and are processed by federal agencies.

- **Notices to Appear (NTAs)**: As of January 2025, ICE had not issued Notices to Appear (NTAs)—which initiate immigration court proceedings and assign court dates—to more than 233,000 UACs. This means a substantial portion of these children were not formally placed into removal proceedings or given scheduled court appearances.

- **Court Appearance Failures**: Of the UACs who were served NTAs, more than 43,000 failed to appear for their scheduled immigration court dates as of October 2024. This indicates a significant challenge in ensuring these minors engage with the immigration process after release.

- **Release Address Issues**: The report highlights that more than 31,000 of the 448,000 UACs had release addresses that were either blank, undeliverable, or missing critical details like apartment numbers. This lack of accurate location data complicates efforts to track these children after they are released from federal custody, typically to sponsors vetted by HHS.

- **Awareness of Location**: ICE was not always informed of the whereabouts of UACs who fled HHS custody, further exacerbating the inability to monitor their status or ensure their safety.

These findings point to systemic challenges in the oversight of unaccompanied minors once they are released from federal custody. The report suggests that without NTAs or reliable address information, ICE struggles to maintain contact with these children, leaving their safety and immigration status uncertain. This aligns with broader concerns raised in the report about ICE’s limited capacity to monitor all UACs, increasing risks such as trafficking or exploitation.