The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced its plans to open a national call center in Nashville, Tennessee, designed to aid local and state law enforcement agencies in locating unaccompanied migrant children who have entered the country illegally. According to federal contracting documents released this week, ICE has identified an immediate need for a 24/7 operation capable of fielding 6,000 to 7,000 calls daily.
ICE aims to have the call center operational by June 2024, following its establishment at the end of March. The agency is actively seeking vendors and technical solutions that can enhance call efficacy in this initiative.
Additionally, ICE has published a request for information on vendors that can facilitate the transport of detainees across Texas. This requirement aligns with a new Texas law mandating all counties with jails to form partnerships with ICE.
These initiatives reflect the current administration's significant investment of $170 billion in immigration and border security, as a part of efforts to enhance enforcement collaborations with local law enforcement agencies. Such measures have been further bolstered by policy changes aimed at unaccompanied minors, with approximately 2,000 minors currently under government care as of July.
ICE has yet to clarify why Nashville was selected as the site for the proposed call center, but it draws attention due to the presence of CoreCivic Inc., a major private detention contractor, which benefits from increasing ICE contracts.
Meanwhile, ICE's announcements indicate heightened scrutiny over migrant children and their sponsors, involving extensive vetting processes, including DNA tests, as they navigate the landscape following the recent uptick in migration patterns. Since 2021, hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied children have attempted to cross the U.S. southern border, leading to considerable operational challenges for the government.
The Department of Homeland Security has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the comments on these developments.
