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Trump admin targeting migrant children
Under the operation name, "Freaky Friday," the Trump administration is targeting migrant children who are not with their parents.
"Now, they're going after the most vulnerable. They're going after the children," says Immigration Attorney Jose Osorio.
He's warning the public about a reported new ICE enforcement operation called "Freaky Friday," which is targeted at unaccompanied migrant children as young as 10 years old.
Osorio says the plan threatens minors with detention or withdrawal of their cases and dangles $2,500 for self-deportation. If the minors don't agree to self-deport, Osorio says the plan calls for threatening children with arresting their family members.
Warning of the "Freaky Friday Operation" was first reported by AILA—American Immigration Lawyers Association.
It's reportedly called "Freaky Friday" because it was set to launch on a Friday and, just like the movie, it signals a sudden, jarring twist where everything changes in an instant.
Osorio says, "We were told that they were going to go after criminals, but that's not what's happening. What is happening now is, they're talking about arresting children and placing them in detention centers with adults; that's about as cruel as it gets."
Below is a copy of the operation:
What they're saying:
In a statement, ICE called the allegations "categorically false" and said the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services are "working diligently to ensure the safety and wellbeing" of unaccompanied children trafficked by cartels and brought into the U.S.
Below is the statement released by ICE:
"These allegations are categorically false. The anti-ICE activists have made up a ridiculous term, "Freaky Friday," to instill fear and spread misinformation that drives the increased violence occurring against federal law enforcement.
Cartels trafficked countless unaccompanied children into the United States during the Biden Administration, and DHS and HHS have been working diligently to ensure the safety and wellbeing of those children.
Many of these UACs had no choice when they were dangerously smuggled into this country. ICE and the Office of Refugee and Resettlement at HHS are offering a strictly voluntary option to return home to their families. This voluntary option gives UACs a choice and allows them to make an informed decision about their future. Any payment to support a return home would be provided after an immigration judge grants the request and the individual arrives in their country of origin. Access to financial support when returning home would assist should they choose that option."
Despite "categorically" denying the alleged operation, the federal agency did not provide any evidence of the cartel trafficking the unaccompanied children and what DHS is doing to help the kids stay safe.