The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights is seeking to compel Immigration and Customs Enforcement to produce records relating to its “Safety Verification Initiative” for Unaccompanied Children announced in November 2025. Among other things, the “Safety Verification Initiative” involves creation of a database to track Unaccompanied Children and their sponsors and a National Call Center to assist state and local law enforcement agencies cooperating in the initiative.

The Young Center submitted a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for relevant records but was told that ICE, the creator of the “Safety Verification Initiative,” possessed no records. The Young Center filed a successful administrative appeal with DHS, which instructed ICE to conduct searches and produce relevant records. However, ICE failed to respond in a timely manner. The Young Center, represented by public interest law firm Terris, Pravlik & Millian, LLP, seeks a court order requiring ICE to fully disclose records relating to its “Safety Verification Initiative.”

• Complaint: Filed 08/24/26