US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has contracted private security firm MVM to locate migrant children who arrived in the United States without their parents. The move, announced in mid‑April, is part of ICE’s broader effort to conduct welfare checks on unaccompanied minors who have been released into communities while immigration court cases are pending.
The contract, signed for one year, tasks MVM – a Virginia‑based company that provides detention and transport services to federal immigration agencies – with locating children who may be at risk of sexual abuse or exploitation. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson emphasized that MVM holds no immigration‑enforcement authority and that the partnership reflects “our commitment to protect vulnerable children.”
The arrangement has drawn criticism after a lawsuit was filed in California alleging that MVM was involved in the 2017 separation of two Guatemalan children from their fathers. The suit claims the company engaged in “torture, enforced disappearance and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment,” asserting that its employees removed thousands of children from parents using unmarked vehicles, commercial flights and ad‑hoc detention sites.
The Guardian reported that an internal ICE document obtained last year suggested the agency’s operation could also facilitate the deportation of children or the prosecution of the adults caring for them. DHS officials have denied allegations that ICE targets or arrests children, calling such claims an attempt to vilify law‑enforcement efforts.
Democratic Representative Delia Ramirez, who is of Guatemalan descent, urged Congress to scrutinize the ICE‑MVM partnership. In a post on X, she described the hiring of a firm with a “concerning track record of abuse” as “reckless” and a threat to public safety.
The controversy highlights ongoing tensions over how the United States handles unaccompanied migrant children. As ICE proceeds with the contract, advocacy groups and lawmakers are likely to monitor its implementation and seek greater transparency about the methods used to locate and protect these minors.
