Age Determination Practices for Unaccompanied Alien Children in ...

Figure 1. Age Determinations in DHS and HHS CustodySource: Interviews with field staffUnder the second scenario, at point B in figure 1, officers make amore explicit age determination when an individual alreadydetained in an adult detention facility claims to be a juvenile. Inthis case, facility personnel separate the individual from thedetained adult population until ICE can acquire additionalinformation to ascertain the individual’s date of birth.Point C in figure 1 depicts the third scenario, in which anindividual in a juvenile shelter is suspected of being an adult, eitherbecause of his or her own statements or through research by shelterstaff. In these cases, the shelter’s staff is responsible for verifyingthe individual’s age. ICE accepts individuals who are determinedto be adults into one of its adult detention facilities, provided theshelter staff supply documentation of the alien’s age; juvenilesremain in the shelter.Age Determination Practices for Unaccompanied Alien Children in ICE CustodyPage 5