by Rida Mian

In the aftermath of 9/11, the U.S. government established the department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to “protect national security and strengthen public safety”(ICE official website). However, since President Trump came to office, the agency has been accused of grossly abusing their power. For example, ICE has been sending officers to demand immigration papers at will inside the U.S. Similarly, asylum seekers and children who have special protection under the law to appear in court and have their case adjudicated, are being presumed guilty and deported without due process. (ACLU official website)

When the Covid 19 pandemic hit the U.S, the administration used it as an excuse to deport more immigrants. In particular, ICE was given the ability to immediately turn away anyone who came to the US seeking refuge, including unaccompanied children fleeing violence. This was done under the pretense of ‘attempt to keep the virus under control’. 

While it is hard to get official data on deportations from ICE, information gathered by public-interest journalists suggests that most of the children arriving at the border are being sent back immediately without due process or access to social services. For example, the Department of Homeland security is refusing to give these children registration numbers –  making it extremely difficult to track them, and find them should they get lost.

An investigation published in the Texas Tribune shows that from April to June of 2020, 3,379 unaccompanied minors tried to cross the border but only 162 of them were sent to federal shelters. The remaining children are largely unaccounted for or expelled. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was able to locate 18 of these children and halt deportation orders against them. However, these children remain in limbo as they cannot enter the U.S. without a judge’s order. 

The mass deportation of children from the U.S. during the pandemic is creating additional problems for these children as the Central American countries they are being sent back to are often under lockdown. The number of children received by Central American authorities are significantly less than the number of children likely expelled by the U.S., raising serious doubts of their exact whereabouts. There is also concern about the private contractors being used by ICE to house and transport the detained children as the children are denied access to social workers or family members. 

ICE department, Official U.S Government. “History of ICE.” ICE.gov, 2019, www.ice.gov/features/history#:~:text=ICE%20was%20granted%20a%20unique,sophisticated%20federal%20law%20enforcement%20agency.

Kriel, Lomi. “Federal Agents Are Expelling Asylum Seekers as Young as 8 Months from the Border, Citing COVID-19 Risks.” The Texas Tribune, The Texas Tribune, 4 Aug. 2020, www.texastribune.org/2020/08/04/border-migrant-children-hotels/. 

“ACLU News & Commentary.” American Civil Liberties Union, www.aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/the-military-should-not-be-searching-cars-or-checking-documents-at-the-border/.