Unaccompanied immigrant children and the Coloradans who offered to house them are at the center of a rift between Gov. Jared Polis and a top official at the state Department of Labor and Employment.
In an ongoing lawsuit against the governor, the head of the state’s Division of Labor Standards and Statistics is arguing that it’s wrong for Polis to make him turn over addresses, telephone numbers and other personal information to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE subpoenaed the information about the sponsors of unaccompanied immigrant children and Polis decided the agency would comply.
ICE named 35 people in its subpoena. Court filings in the whistleblower case reveal that, based on the state labor department’s research, there are six sponsors of unaccompanied minor immigrants who have personal information contained in the unemployment insurance division. It’s not clear what other records would be turned over.
The case has raised questions about how many unaccompanied immigrant children are in Colorado, how they arrived and who is taking care of them.
Two types of unaccompanied children — those who entered legally or illegally
The federal government defines unaccompanied immigrant children, usually teenagers, as those under 18 who entered the country without a parent or guardian.
The government divides them into two groups. Unaccompanied children are those who came to the country illegally. Unaccompanied refugee minors are those who entered the country with a legal immigration status as a refugee, meaning they were fleeing a county where they were unsafe, abused or persecuted.
Children with refugee status
The distinction matters because refugee children are eligible for a federal program that places them in foster care and, in Colorado, their placements are supervised by the child welfare division of the Colorado Department of Human Services.
As of this month, there are 75 unaccompanied refugee children in Colorado, cared for by sponsors who are essentially serving as foster parents. County child welfare departments in Colorado are required to provide face-to-face check-ins with these refugee children at least once per month.
Children who entered without lawful status
Children without refugee status are assigned to the Office of Refugee Resettlement in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which provides them with case managers. Those case managers interview and vet prospective sponsors to “assess whether it’s an appropriate and safe placement,” according to state child welfare officials, and routinely do not notify local child welfare authorities when children are placed.
Children in this category were apprehended by immigration authorities at the southern border or discovered after crossing the border.
The federal program has found sponsors for more than 800,000 unaccompanied immigrant children nationwide since 2003. The number has jumped to more than 23,000 nationwide this year from less than 8,000 per year about a decade ago.
According to data from the federal department, there were 407 immigrant children placed with sponsors in Colorado from October through May after the children had entered the country illegally and were apprehended. That included 132 in Arapahoe County and 64 in Denver County. The federal agency does not break out data for counties where fewer than 50 children have been placed with sponsors.
Federal law requires that the government feed, shelter and provide medical care for unaccompanied immigrant children until it is able to place them with sponsors.
Sponsors must pass a background check, agree to make sure the child attends future immigration proceedings and agree that the child will report to ICE if they are ordered to be deported. “Sponsors are adults who are suitable to provide for the child’s physical and mental well-being and have not engaged in any activity that would indicate a potential risk to the child,” according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website.
The federal department also notes that it has “strong policies” to ensure children’s privacy and safety and that it “cannot release information about individual children that could compromise the child’s location or identity.”
Sometimes, children in this category whose sponsors are found to have neglected or abused them will end up in the foster care system. Colorado currently has no children who are in this position, state child welfare officials said.
Motives for ICE’s subpoena are subject to debate
The state official who is suing Polis argues that turning over sponsors’ personal information to the Trump administration is a violation of state laws passed in 2021 and 2025, which say state agencies and their employees cannot disclose personal information in order to assist federal immigration enforcement.
Colorado law makes an exception for criminal cases, so the lawsuit might hinge on ICE’s motives. ICE said it is seeking the information to protect children from sex trafficking or other crimes, but immigrant advocates argue that the federal agency’s goal is to intimidate sponsors and minors and enforce civil immigration violations.
The April 24 subpoena states that its purpose is to carry out “investigative activities to locate unaccompanied alien children” and to “ensure that the children are being properly cared for.”
The subpoena requested the unemployment benefit filings, insurance records and employer information of 35 people who are sponsors of unaccompanied minors. It also requested their addresses, telephone and email contact information, as well as quarterly wage reports, schedules, employer’s name and address, and records filed under the Family and Medical Leave Insurance program.
Lawyers for the government have agreed to postpone complying with the subpoena until the lawsuit is settled in court. District Court Judge A. Bruce Jones will hear from lawyers for both sides on Tuesday.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( How many unaccompanied immigrant children are in Colorado and who is taking care of them? )
Also on site :