Age Determination Practices for Unaccompanied Alien Children in ICE Custody

The Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement enforces United States immigration law by apprehending, detaining, and deporting individuals who are not authorized to remain in the country. Children are sometimes among those encountered, and the Department of Homeland Security must ensure that they are not detained with unrelated adults.

To separate unaccompanied children from detained adults, the Department of Homeland Security attempts to establish the date of birth of anyone it cannot readily identify as an adult or child. Immigration officials collect information on possible juveniles to ascertain their correct ages. Information may include professional opinions based on dental or skeletal radiographs. However, the use of radiographs to determine chronological age—age from a person’s date of birth—has been criticized by some in the medical and advocacy communities as unreliable.

We reviewed Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s approach to age determinations at the request of the House Appropriations Committee. In House Report 110-862, the committee said that the department had “not ceased its reliance on bone and dental forensics for child age determinations, as directed” in a previous report. In its request, the committee asked us to report on any cases in which Immigration and Customs Enforcement used bone and dental forensics in 2008 or 2009.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement does not track age determination data; therefore, we were unable to identify all cases where it used radiographs for age determinations. Based on interviews with officials, and our review of selected files and guidance, we concluded that Immigration and Customs Enforcement recognizes the limits of radiographs and strives to obtain additional information when making age determinations. We are making recommendations to track age determination data better, update guidance for field offices, and ensure that radiographic exam results include all required information and are properly documented.

MORE INFORMATION
http://www.dhs.gov/xoig/assets/mgmtrpts/OIG_10-12_Nov09.pdf