Homeland Security Agents’ Unannounced Visits to Migrant Children Spark Concern

For over ten years, children traveling alone from Central America have crossed into the United States seeking refuge from difficult conditions. Many have been permitted to remain in the country, with most experiencing limited immigration enforcement actions.

During the previous administration, these minors increasingly encountered federal agents in more direct ways.

Across locations from New York to Hawaii, officials have been arriving without prior notice at schools, homes, and shelters to conduct interviews with these children.

The administration has described these unexpected visits as “wellness checks” aimed at confirming that the children are enrolled in school and receiving appropriate care. However, the officers involved are not trained social workers, child welfare experts, labor inspectors, or truancy officials. Instead, they primarily belong to Homeland Security Investigations, a specialized branch of Immigration and Customs Enforcement focused on combating drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, cybercrime, and financial offenses.

Last month, when federal agents arrived unannounced at two elementary schools in Los Angeles seeking to meet with children, school officials refused them entry.

Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, questioned the rationale behind the visits, asking, “What reason would a Homeland Security agent have to approach a first grader or a second grader? Or even a third or fourth grader?”

Unaccompanied minors arriving in the U.S. have long faced vulnerabilities, and as their numbers have grown, concerns about their safety have intensified. While many live securely with family members, some have been subjected to exploitation, including labor trafficking.