U.S. Department of Justice 

IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE 

FACT SHEET 8/1/02 

INS’ Office of Juvenile Affairs 

Background 

The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) recently established an Office of Juvenile 

Affairs dedicated to identifying and addressing the concerns of juveniles in INS custody. The office will 

adopt a cross-disciplinary approach, viewing the juvenile as a child first and foremost. The Director of 

the Office will report directly to the Commissioner of the INS and will have direct line authority over 

officers in the field making and implementing decisions regarding juveniles. 

The backbone of the Office of Juvenile Affairs will be dedicated full-time juvenile Case 

Management Officers responsible for managing reasonable caseloads. Through the Case Management 

Officers, the Office of Juvenile Affairs will make placement decisions. This means determining whether 

a particular juvenile should be released to a family member or other guardian or should be placed in a 

shelter care facility, secure detention, or foster care. The Office of Juvenile Affairs will make decisions 

regarding removal proceedings and make recommendations regarding parole decisions for 

unaccompanied minors. 

The custody and care of juveniles currently in the United States without parents or legal 

guardians presents unique challenges. The number of unaccompanied juveniles arriving in the United 

States has more than doubled in the last five years, rising from 2,375 in FY 1997 to 5,385 in FY 2001. 

The Office of Juvenile Affairs will provide an integrated response to this growing population seeking 

alternatives to detention whenever possible and ensuring that juveniles have access to all benefits and 

services to which they are entitled. 

INS Policy 

INS embraces the well-established principle that it is generally in a child’s best interest to be 

reunited with his or her family. Of course, unaccompanied minors who have been victims of abuse or 

neglect may need U.S. protection to ensure that they are not returned to an abusive environment. 

Absent evidence of such a threat, however, the Office of Juvenile Affairs will work toward developing a 

system that quickly reunites children with their families, in the United States or abroad. 

Case Management Officers 

The Office of Juvenile Affairs will include Case Management Officers located in the field 

reporting directly to Headquarters. These officers will receive extensive training on children’s issues as 

well as a comprehensive overview of immigration services. They will be empowered to make decisions 

regarding placement of juveniles, and make recommendations regarding removal proceedings and 

benefits such as special immigrant juvenile classification. Case Management Officers will serve as local 

liaison with service providers, attorneys, the Executive Office of Immigration Review, and other entities 

appropriate for all issues concerning juveniles under their management. They will arrange for home 

assessments and proactively seek out alternatives to detention as appropriate. 

Prepared by the Office of Public Affairs (202) 514-2648 Internet: www.ins.usdoj.gov 
INS’ Office of Juvenile Affairs 

Page 2 

Facility Overview 

The Office of Juvenile Affairs will begin to assume responsibility for INS service contracts in a 

variety of facilities in the United States that are equipped to house juveniles. The vast majority of these 

facilities are non-secure shelter care facilities. In addition, INS recently opened a new Family Shelter 

Care Program, designed to help keep immediate family members together while in INS custody. 

OJA will build upon this foundation by securing and administering additional grants to provide 

the best possible environment for the custody and care of juveniles. The Office will also seek to 

improve facilities for detaining juveniles during the initial hours of custody. OJA plans to develop and 

establish a special needs facility for detention of certain juveniles. 

All facilities used by the INS are state-licensed and, as such, meet or exceed state requirements 

in the areas of safety, education, recreation and physical exercise, nutrition, and medical and counseling 

services. INS ensures that each facility is staffed with or has access to language interpreters to explain 

procedures and the juveniles’ rights under U.S. law. Educational classes offering a curriculum that 

meets or exceeds state or local educational requirements are provided to all juveniles in INS custody. 

Juveniles in INS custody have access to libraries, either on the premises or through linkages with local 

county library systems. There are opportunities for recreation and social interaction. Facilities used by 

INS provide appropriate access to telephones. Specially trained child-care staff also provide for the 

psychological needs of the juveniles through structured programs as well as through informal 

interactions. Many of the considerations INS makes for the comfort and well being of the juveniles in its 

custody exceed state licensing standards and requirements. 

- INS -
INS’ Office of Juvenile Affairs 

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Key Juvenile Statistics 

1999 2000 2001 

Total Juveniles in custody 4,607 4,675 4,896 

Male 3,619 3,530 3,540 

Female 988 1,145 1,356 

Top 5 Countries: (Alphabetical Order) 

China 648 632 291 

El Salvador 813 741 881 

Guatemala 721 677 654 

Honduras 1,055 928 807 

Mexico 809 830 795 

* 

Total Custody Events 5,644 5,537 5,385 

Percent in Secure Facilities * 35% 35% 32% 

Total in Secure Facilities 1,958 1,923 1,716 

Percent in Non-Secure Facilities * 65% 65% 68% 

Total in Non-Secure Facilities 3,686 3,614 3,669 

* * * * 

* Percentages refer to custody events, not total juveniles in custody. 

– INS –