The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced plans to open a national call center in Nashville aimed at assisting local law enforcement agencies in locating unaccompanied migrant children who entered the country illegally. A federal contracting document revealed that ICE has an immediate need for a 24-hour call center that can handle between 6,000 to 7,000 calls each day.
The call center is expected to be operational by the end of March and fully functional by June, as ICE seeks vendors who can provide the necessary technology to ensure efficient call handling.
This initiative is part of a larger strategy involving a new Texas state law that requires partnerships between counties with jails and ICE to transport detainees more effectively. The Trump administration has also allocated $170 billion for immigration and border security, which has further heightened the focus on partnerships with local law enforcement agencies.
In addition to the call center, ICE is looking for vendors who can assist in transporting detainees to various offices throughout Texas, further emphasizing the agency's intensified approach to immigration enforcement amidst rising numbers of unaccompanied minors crossing the southern border.
As social issues surrounding unaccompanied minors persist, advocacy groups are concerned about the implications of such operations, especially how they affect the safety and wellbeing of these children.
