A report published by The Guardian on Sept. 19 alleges that White House senior adviser Stephen Miller is directing a multi-agency government effort to accelerate the removal of undocumented immigrant children from the United States. The administration has characterized its actions as part of an anti-trafficking initiative, while critics and former officials cited in the report raised concerns about child welfare and due process.
The report, citing multiple anonymous sources, describes collaboration between the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Homeland Security (DHS), Justice (DOJ), State, and Defense. According to these sources, the objective is to expedite legal proceedings and increase the number of minors removed from the country.
Data analysis from the advocacy group Mobile Pathways, provided to The Guardian, indicates a significant increase in removal orders for minors issued by immigration courts. The analysis of DOJ data shows that since January 2025, nearly 200,000 children have been ordered removed. Monthly removal orders reportedly rose from 7,366 in January 2025 to over 16,000 in June and July 2026.
In a statement to The Guardian, the White House did not deny a multi-agency effort was underway but framed its purpose differently. “The Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Homeland Security Council are working to locate and rescue these children,” said White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis. “We are ensuring these children are reunited with their parents and families in their home countries.”
The report outlines several specific methods allegedly being used, according to its sources. These include changes to information-sharing practices between the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which is responsible for child welfare, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency responsible for enforcement. Other claims include placing former immigration enforcement officials in key roles at ORR and expediting asylum interviews for children in government custody.
Immigration advocates and former officials have voiced opposition to the reported policies. Claire Trickler-McNulty, a former official at ICE and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), told The Guardian that using trafficking as a rationale was “a convenient, feel-good cover that has nothing to do with trafficking and everything to do with reducing the program.”
Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon stated that the administration was “violating children’s rights [and] flouting federal law to hit quotas and satisfy their ideological crusade against immigrants.”
An HHS spokesperson provided a statement to The Guardian, saying, “ORR is not involved in the enforcement of immigration law or in the removal process.” The spokesperson added that ORR is involved in an effort to locate children released during the previous administration “to poorly vetted sponsors” who in some cases exploited them.
The State Department confirmed it “leads diplomatic efforts to ensure” that all countries accept the return of their nationals.
The report also details claims of federal officials defunding legal service organizations that represent unaccompanied children. Azadeh Erfani, policy director at the National Immigrant Justice Center, described these actions as “tools that are part of this larger project of essentially deporting these children by any means necessary.”
