ICE to Launch National Call Center for Missing Unaccompanied Migrant Children

Sat Nov 08 2025 04:48:50 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to open a national call center in Nashville, Tennessee, dedicated to assisting law enforcement in locating unaccompanied migrant children who have entered the country illegally. This initiative comes amid a broad crackdown on immigration under the Trump administration.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is set to establish a national call center in Nashville to aid law enforcement in tracking unaccompanied migrant children. With a capacity to manage thousands of daily calls, the center aims to help authorities efficiently respond to cases of missing minors. This initiative reflects the ongoing focus on immigration enforcement, accompanied by new partnerships with local law enforcement to strengthen operations nationwide.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced plans to establish a national call center in Nashville, Tennessee, designed to assist local and state law enforcement agencies in locating unaccompanied migrant children who have entered the country unlawfully. This initiative, detailed in a recent federal contracting document, highlights ICE's urgent need to support these efforts with a continuously operational call center capable of handling between 6,000 and 7,000 calls each day.

ICE aims to have this call center operational by June after an expedited launch process beginning by the end of March. The federal agency is currently soliciting information from potential vendors regarding technology options to maximize call efficiency.

In conjunction with this call center initiative, ICE has also sought vendors capable of transporting detainees efficiently across Texas. This development comes after a new state law mandates partnerships between ICE and all Texas counties with jails.

The establishment of the Nashville call center and transport services occurs at a time when the federal government has committed approximately $170 billion towards immigration and border security following the recent passage of a significant Republican-backed bill. This funding underscores the heightened enforcement focus under the Trump administration, which has led to increased collaboration between federal and local law enforcement agencies for immigration enforcement operations.

The proliferation of these initiatives reflects ongoing efforts to manage a rise in unaccompanied minor children crossing the U.S. southern border in recent years. These children are generally put in the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) upon entry, although many remain under government custody while awaiting placement with sponsors.

ICE's recent aim to enhance protocols surrounding the care and transportation of unaccompanied minors has generated considerable scrutiny amid past controversies surrounding immigration policy and child detention practices.

The Nashville call center's location may also be strategically relevant, given that CoreCivic Inc., a leading private detention contractor, is headquartered nearby. While ICE hasn't confirmed any specific contracts with CoreCivic for the call center setup, the company's substantial contributions to GOP political campaigns have raised questions about potential influences in policy-making regarding immigration enforcement.

As discussions about the operations of ICE continue, the agency emphasizes the ongoing commitment to enhancing support for law enforcement in safeguarding the welfare of unaccompanied minors.