US makes alarming change to trafficking reporting for migrant children

The Trump administration has instructed caregivers for migrant children in federal custody to stop reporting human trafficking concerns directly to the Office of Trafficking in Persons. Critics warn that the change is to allow authorities to deport vulnerable minors more easily while sidelining trafficking protection.

“This is going to harm children”

A September 10 memo has directed federal employees and care providers to route trafficking reports through the Office of Refugee Resettlement—the agency that houses unaccompanied minors.

Previously, caregivers screened children for signs of trafficking within five days of arrival. If they suspected abuse, they had 24 hours to notify the Office of Trafficking in Persons. A positive determination opened the door to foster care, public schooling, and eligibility for nutrition and housing benefits. It also strengthened a child’s ability to apply for visas for victims of trafficking or asylum.

That pathway now runs through an agency with no specialist expertise in trafficking.

The Associated Press reports:

““This is going to harm children,” said Jean Bruggeman, co-executive director of Freedom Network USA, a coalition that advocates for human trafficking survivors. “This makes it more likely they will be deported before they get the services they need and put back into harm’s way.””

The administration says the change will “streamline” reporting and target improper claims. They cited a review that found 95% of more than 9,000 reports “were determined not to be viable trafficking leads.” But the same data shows that 58% of reports from shelter staff qualified children for trafficking-related benefits—a figure that cuts against the framing of widespread abuse.

Jen Smyers, who served as deputy director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement under the Biden administration, rejected the streamlining rationale entirely. She warns that this new system is attempting to deport as many children as possible, legitimate claims will be delayed or missed, and employees will face political pressure to submit less cases.

A system closing in on the vulnerable

The policy change is one part of a broader pattern. Deportation orders for migrant minors have surged, with immigration judges issuing more than 10,000 removal orders per month since Trump returned to office—massively outpacing even his first term.

Last year, US immigration authorities attempted to deport hundreds of Guatemalan children without hearings or due process. The plan unraveled when immigrant rights groups sued, prompting a federal judge to issue an emergency order halting the removals.

Meanwhile, the administration is planning a centralized detention facility capable of holding up to 3,000 unaccompanied migrant children—a significant shift from the current model of more than 150 shelter facilities across the country.

Families with trafficking claims already face coercive pressure in detention—including threats of family separation, harmful conditions, and fear of being sent to “third countries” where they have no ties and may face detention again. All to force them to abandon protection claims and accept deportation. These changes will create the same pressure for unaccompanied minors.

Children cannot wait

Migrant children are among the most vulnerable people in the US immigration system. They face labor and sex trafficking in their home countries, on migration routes, and after arrival. Congress created specific protections for them precisely because of that vulnerability.

Dismantling the reporting system that activates those protections removes a safeguard from children who have no other recourse.

Freedom United is calling on the US government to restore and strengthen trafficking protections for migrant children. Add your name to demand that the government implement migration policies that protect children, not deport them.