Jonathan Pullen

The federal Drug Enforcement Agency has begun conducting welfare checks on certain immigrant children in Jackson, raising alarm among immigration advocates who say law enforcement is stepping on work that should be left to social service professionals.

Jonathan Pullen, special agent in charge of the DEA’s Rocky Mountain Field Division, told the News&Guide the agency is working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its subsidiary, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, better known as ICE, to locate immigrant minors placed with sponsors after crossing the U.S. border alone.

“As you probably know, there’s been a ton of [children] over the last number of years — a lot of unaccompanied minors who have come across the border with no adult,” Pullen said. “We’ve been asked to go out with Homeland Security, with the ICE agents, to do welfare checks to try to find these kids because they were put into the custody of some foster parents somewhere. Sometimes that’s a regular U.S. citizen, sometimes they are an immigrant.”

Pullen acknowledged the DEA gathers information during these visits and passes it on to ICE, which determines how it will be used.

That, critics say, blurs the line between protection and policing.

“They’re not aimed at checking on the welfare of anyone,” said Michelle Méndez, director of legal resources and training at the National Immigration Project in Washington, D.C. “They are aimed at finding facts to criminalize sponsors.”

Pullen said his agents were in Jackson a few weeks ago conducting a welfare check.

The DEA’s participation is based on Title 8 — a section of U.S. law that governs immigration enforcement and allows certain federal agents to detain noncitizens, refer individuals to ICE or conduct related enforcement activity.

“We’re really just a support role where Homeland Security has a list of these kids and where they think they are, and they’ve asked us to go, essentially do welfare checks,” said Pullen. “Listen, sometimes those adults are here illegally. We’re not taking them to jail. That’s not what we’re here for.”

Traditionally, sponsor reviews fall under the Office of Refugee Resettlement, part of the Department of Health and Human Services. Refugee Resettlement is responsible for ensuring that children are placed with qualified sponsors — often family members or close friends — and for providing post-placement oversight.

However, a federal watchdog report found that Refugee Resettlement failed to consistently perform background checks or verify addresses before placing some children. The Trump administration has cited those concerns to increase its efforts to locate and monitor unaccompanied minors and their sponsors.

In Wyoming, officials with the Department of Family Services, which oversees child welfare, said they weren’t aware of the DEA’s involvement in welfare checks. However, the state office said it works collaboratively with law enforcement in cases of criminal abuse and neglect.

“These cases are led by law enforcement and usually involve local agencies, but can involve other law enforcement agencies,” Kelly Douglas, spokesperson for Department of Family Services, said in an email.

“DFS does not have the legal authority to remove children from their homes or from their parents: only law enforcement, medical professionals and judges have that authority,” she added. “DFS does not differentiate between citizens and noncitizens when accepting children into care.

“DFS focuses on the safety, health and well-being of the child,” Douglas added.

While it’s unclear how many immigrant kids in Jackson have been placed with sponsors, Teton County School District data reflects a growing number of “newcomer” children — students who have newly arrived in the U.S. and settled locally. 

According to Charlotte Reynolds, communications director for the Teton County School District, the district serves roughly 50 newcomer students a year, some of whom arrived in the United States without a parent or legal guardian.

The district offers a 12-week “English Intensive” program for students in grades one through five that integrates language learning with emotional, family and community support. Reynolds emphasized that nobody besides teachers and educational staff can talk to students in school without authorization from a guardian. For students enrolled in the public school, the district works to maintain contact with families to ensure their health, safety and welfare.

Immigration advocates say similar federal checks are underway in Colorado, Montana and other parts of the west. So far, there are no confirmed reports of arrests tied to these welfare checks.

Advocates, however, worry it’s only a matter of time.

“It completely erases community trust,” said Méndez. “If someone is unable to see the impact on the community’s trust, it’s because they’ve been unable to see the impact on vulnerable people.”

The Rocky Mountain Immigration Advocacy Network has issued flyers warning families of their rights during welfare visits. The flyers note that although agents say they are ensuring a child’s safety, there is no clarity on how the information collected will be used in the future.