U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to establish a national call center in Nashville, Tennessee, aimed at assisting local and state law enforcement agencies in locating unaccompanied migrant children who have entered the U.S. illegally. According to federal contracting documents released this week, ICE has an 'immediate need' for a 24/7 call center capable of handling 6,000 to 7,000 daily calls to streamline this process.
The federal agency intends to have the call center operational by the end of March and fully functioning by June. They are actively seeking vendors that can provide technology solutions to maximize call efficiency.
In addition to the call center, ICE is also looking for vendors to transport detainees from various locations across Texas, especially after a new state law mandating county jails to partner with ICE takes effect next year. This initiative aligns with the government’s recent allocation of $170 billion towards immigration and border security, spearheaded by legislation from the Trump administration.
With an increasing focus on immigration enforcement, there has been a significant rise in partnerships between local and state law enforcement agencies and ICE, leading to heightened scrutiny on the treatment and management of unaccompanied minors and their sponsors.
As of July, around 2,000 unaccompanied children were in government custody. The new initiatives might come with concerns from advocates regarding the safety and ethical treatment of minor migrants, as the Trump administration intensifies its review of cases involving unaccompanied minors.
ICE has yet to disclose the reasoning behind selecting Nashville as the call center's location, although it is notable that CoreCivic Inc., a major private detention contractor, is headquartered there.
The Department of Homeland Security has not responded to a request for further comment on these developments.
