ICE Opens 24/7 Call Center to Track Missing Migrant Children
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is preparing to launch a new 24-hour call center in Nashville, Tennessee, designed to assist law enforcement in locating unaccompanied migrant children who have entered the United States.
According to a Request for Information (RFI) released this week by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the agency emphasized an “immediate need” for a high-tech coordination hub capable of handling between 6,000 and 7,000 calls per day. The facility is slated to open by March 2026 and reach full operational capacity by June.
The center will integrate data-driven tools and potentially new software platforms to help ICE track and coordinate cases more efficiently. DHS officials are currently consulting private contractors on advanced analytics and data-sharing technologies that could merge information from federal, state, and partner systems—aiming to prevent what many critics say became a bureaucratic black hole under the prior administration.
A High-Tech Turn in Immigration Enforcement
The move represents part of the Trump administration’s intensified effort to address illegal immigration and tighten oversight of unaccompanied minors—many of whom disappeared after being released to sponsors during the Biden years. Congressional hearings and investigative reports have revealed that thousands of migrant children placed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) were never properly vetted or tracked, raising fears of trafficking, labor exploitation, and abuse.
The new Nashville hub appears intended to fill that accountability gap. ICE’s RFI suggests an emphasis on real-time tracking, case verification, and communication between agencies and local law enforcement.
Corporate Partners and Industry Context
Nashville is home to CoreCivic Inc., one of the largest for-profit prison corporations in the United States—a company whose fortunes often rise with heightened immigration enforcement. The firm has reported steady growth in recent quarters, boosted by federal contracts tied to detention and migrant housing.
Meanwhile, Palantir Technologies, known for its powerful data-mining software and past collaboration with U.S. intelligence agencies, has previously partnered with ICE on a $30 million contract to enhance detention and deportation tracking systems. Similar firms could compete for involvement in the new call center’s digital infrastructure.
A Broader Shift in Policy and Accountability
The new ICE call center underscores a broader philosophical shift in immigration policy—from what critics called “catch and release” toward “locate and verify.” The Trump administration has repeatedly framed the crisis of missing migrant children as both a humanitarian and national security concern, citing numerous cases of minors being funneled into child labor operations, gang networks, and illegal trafficking rings after being lost in federal paperwork.
If successful, the Nashville facility could become a model for integrated enforcement and welfare tracking, using technology to bridge communication gaps that have long hindered the U.S. immigration system.
Still, privacy advocates and immigration reform groups are likely to scrutinize the program closely, warning that increased surveillance may risk civil liberties violations or expand government data-sharing far beyond its stated goals.
For now, ICE maintains that the effort is about accountability and protection—ensuring that vulnerable children no longer disappear into the shadows of an overburdened system.
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