ICE Contracts Firm Accused of 'Torture' to Track Migrant Children for 'Safety and Wellness Check'

A private security company with a controversial history is monitoring unaccompanied immigrant minors. Immigration authorities enlisted a third-party contractor to locate these vulnerable children, raising serious concerns among advocates.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) awarded a tracking contract to MVM Inc., an organisation previously accused of human rights violations. While officials defend the initiative as a routine protective measure, critics argue it is a covert strategy to resume aggressive deportations.

Why ICE Is Outsourcing the Tracking of Unaccompanied Minors

ICE has intensified efforts to locate undocumented youths released into local communities. To expand operations, the agency contracted external personnel to put 'boots on the ground.'

The agency calls these operations 'safety and wellness checks,' aimed at verifying a child's welfare. According to The Guardian, an internal ICE document reviewed by reporters indicates the true objective is to deport minors or pursue criminal cases against their sponsors.

A DHS spokesperson firmly denied these claims on 1 May. 'Accusations that ICE is "targeting" and arresting children are FALSE and an attempt to demonize law enforcement,' the spokesperson stated.

They added that the agency does not divide households. 'Rather than separating families, ICE asks parents if they want to be removed with their children or if the child should be placed with someone safe the parent designates.'

How MVM Inc Became Linked to Family Separation

MVM Inc is a Virginia-based security contractor providing transport and detention services to federal agencies. In mid-April, the company officially secured the contract to assist ICE.

The firm faced legal backlash in 2024 when two Guatemalan fathers sued them. The lawsuit alleged 'torture, enforced disappearance and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment,' citing the company's involvement in previous border policies.

According to the filing, the contractor removed thousands of youths from their parents. 'MVM transported and harbored these children using unmarked vehicles, commercial airlines, and makeshift detention centers,' the lawsuit noted.

MVM requested a dismissal, arguing they had 'openly denounced' the campaign. By March 2025, a judge allowed the core allegations of inhumane treatment to proceed.

What 'Wellness Checks' Mean for Undocumented Immigrants

Although 18 companies bid for this contract, MVM was selected over the competition. Officials claimed others lacked 'the critical "boots on the ground" child welfare personnel and infrastructure needed to physically locate and conduct wellness checks on children.'

A DHS spokesperson reiterated that the contractor possesses zero immigration enforcement authority. 'The primary focus of this initiative is to conduct welfare checks on these children to ensure that they are safe and not being exploited or abused,' they said.

Michael Lukens, executive director of the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, suggested the operations intimidate families. 'This all seems like a ploy to do two things: one, find either kids or their sponsors to arrest and deport. Or, two, scare children into self-deporting,' he said.

Abuse Allegations Clouding MVM's Federal Contracts

Authorities use a 2024 report about untracked minors to justify these operations. Lukens dismissed the narrative that the children are missing, stating parents and lawyers usually know their whereabouts.

MVM's history continues to alarm advocates. They detained families in hotels before deportation, and recently locked an immigrant woman and her baby in a Chicago hotel.

Neha Desai, Managing Director of Children's Human Rights & Dignity at the National Center for Youth Law, told The Guardian: 'We have seen MVM harm children in federal immigration custody in egregious ways for many years now.'

Desai emphasised the visits cause severe trauma. 'What will come next once MVM is involved will surely be even worse,' she warned.

MVM Inc has not responded to requests for comment on the renewed contract. The case brought by the two Guatemalan fathers against the company remains ongoing in federal court.