Escort Services for Unaccompanied Alien Children

[Stephanie]

check out the date on this...
you can access the documents at the site

SNIP:
Original Synopsis
Jan 29, 2014
3:19 pm
Solicitation Number:
BERKS-RFI Notice Type:
Sources Sought
Synopsis:
Added: Jan 29, 2014 3:19 pm
See Attachment.
Please consult the list of document viewers if you cannot open a file.
RFI
Type: Other (Draft RFPs/RFIs, Responses to Questions, etc..)
Label: RFI
Posted Date: January 29, 2014
Juvenile_Transport_RFI_(TONY_Edits_1_29_14).docx (36.76 Kb)
Description: Escort Services for Unaccompanied Alien Children RFI

Escort Services for Unaccompanied Alien Children Solicitation Number: BERKS-RFI
FEDBIZOPS.GOV ^ | 29 January, 2014 | Department of Homeland Security

Posted on *7*/*16*/*2014* *7*:*00*:*50* *PM by MtnClimber

A. Introduction

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has a continuing and mission critical responsibility for accepting custody of Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) from U.S. Border Patrol and other Federal agencies and transporting these juveniles to Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) shelters located throughout the continental United States. ICE is seeking the services of a responsible vendor that shares the philosophy of treating all UAC with dignity and respect, while adhering to standard operating procedures and policies that allow for an effective, efficient, and incident free transport. The Contractor shall provide unarmed escort staff, including management, supervision, manpower, training, certifications, licenses, drug testing, equipment, and supplies necessary to provide on-demand escort services for non-criminal/non-delinquent unaccompanied alien children ages infant to 17 years of age, seven (7) days a week, 365 days a year. Transport will be required for either category of UAC or individual juveniles, to include both male and female juveniles. There will be approximately 65,000 UAC in total: 25% local ground transport, 25% via ICE charter and 50% via commercial air. Escort services include, but are not limited to, assisting with: transferring physical custody of UAC from DHS to Health and Human Services (HHS) care via ground or air methods of transportation (charter or commercial carrier), property inventory, providing juveniles with meals, drafting reports, generating transport documents, maintaining/stocking daily supplies, providing and issuing clothing as needed, coordinating with DHS and HHS staff, travel coordination, limited stationary guard services to accommodate for trip disruptions due to inclement weather, faulty equipment, or other exigent circumstances. In emergency situations, the Contractor shall be called on to provide temporary shelter locations (such as trailers) with shower facilities for juveniles who are pending placement with HHS when bed space is unavailable nationwide for extended periods of time. The Contractor shall provide temporary guard services and other support as necessary during these emergencies.

In addition, the Contractor shall have personnel who are able to communicate with juveniles in their own designated language(s). While this may not require each employee to be fluent in all of the encountered languages, personnel should have access to and knowledge of translation services.

B. ICE Standards/Special Requirements

The contractor is required to perform in accordance with the ICE Performance Based National Detention Standards (PBNDS 2011), all ICE policies related to the transportation of juveniles (see the ICE Family Residential Standards at Family Residential Standards) as well as the Flores Settlement Agreement, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, and the Homeland Security Act of 2002. In cases where other standards conflict with DHS/ICE Policy or Standards, DHS/ICE Policy and Standards will prevail. ICE Inspectors will conduct periodic inspections to assure compliance of the aforementioned standards.


see all of it here
https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportu...912fbc917a46d6709d38bd&tab=core&tabmode=list&

 

[waltky]

Unaccompanied illegal minors bringing TB with them...

10 Unaccompanied Illegal Alien Minors Diagnosed With TB
October 10, 2014 -- From January through September, 10 of the unaccompanied minors detained while attempting to illegally enter the United States across the Mexican border were diagnosed with active tuberculosis (TB), according to the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).

The children were ultimately allowed to stay in the United States. "The children were isolated and treated; after being rendered non-infectious, all ten were released to verified sponsors in the U.S.," said ORR spokesman Kenneth Wolfe in an emailed response when CNSNews.com asked if any - and if so, how many - of the unaccompanied minors were tested for TB or enterovirus 68. "The respective local health department connects with the health department in the city in which the child is released through the inter-jurisdictional TB notification system, and our Office of Refugee Resettlement also notifies the state. Then, the local TB control program follows up with the child and family," said Wolfe.

No minors with active TB are currently in the UAC program, according to Wolfe. In addition to the 10 unaccompanied alien children (UAC) with TB, 125 minors were diagnosed with chicken pox (varicella) in the same time period. "Our Office of Refugee Resettlement has not had reports of any other diseases requiring isolation. Our Office of Refugee Resettlement follows CDC guidance on these and other matters of public health concern," said Wolfe. Unaccompanied minors are given medical screenings when they arrive at U.S. border stations, and if necessary medical treatment, according to Wolfe.

Illegal immigrant children face an uncertain future once they arrive in the United States from Central America.

Once they are in the HHS' Unaccompanied Alien Children program, they receive a well-child exam, "all needed childhood vaccinations to protect against communicable diseases" - including TB - and a mental health exam. "Children from this region of the world participate in comprehensive childhood vaccination programs, similar to the United States, and are generally well protected from most vaccine-preventable diseases," said Wolfe. "If it is determined that children have certain communicable diseases or have been exposed to such communicable diseases, they are placed in a program or facility that has the capacity to quarantine," he said. "Children with serious health conditions are treated at local hospitals. The cost of this care is fully paid by the federal government." According to the Customs and Border Patrol, 68,541 unaccompanied children were apprehended on the Southwest border in Fiscal Year 2014 - from Oct. 1, 2013 to Sept. 30, 2014.

10 Unaccompanied Illegal Alien Minors Diagnosed With TB CNS News

 

[waltky]

Future 'justice-involved youth'...

Feds: 81,038 Unaccompanied Illegal Alien Children Placed In All 50 States, D.C. in Last Two Years
November 3, 2015 – The federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) has released data updated as of Nov. 2 that show in the last two years 81,038 illegal alien minors who entered the U.S. without a parent or guardian were subsequently placed with adult sponsors in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

According to the “Unaccompanied Children Released to Sponsors By State” statistics and confirmed by a spokesman for the Administration for Children and Families – which operates ORR – 27,520 unaccompanied illegal alien minors have been released to sponsors around the United States in fiscal year 2015 (October 2014 to September 2015). This is in addition to the 53,518 children released into the United States in fiscal year 2014 (October 2013 to September 2014). Those statistics bring the total of illegal alien children who were apprehended, placed with ORR and then released to sponsors over that time period to 81,038.

According to the data, the 10 states receiving the most of these illegal alien children are Texas (10,618), California (9,587), New York (8,570), Florida (8,330), Maryland (5,668), Virginia (5,563), New Jersey (4,120), Georgia (3,075), North Carolina (2,897), and Louisiana (2,220). ORR defines an unaccompanied illegal alien minor as “a child who is not accompanied by a parent or legal guardian” and “is apprehended by immigration authorities.”

Federal law requires that the children be transferred from immigration authorities (Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Patrol) to ORR where they are provided with food, shelter and medical care until they can be released to sponsors. The average time an unaccompanied minor is in ORR custody is about a month, a spokesman for ACF told CNSNews.com. The immigration courts ultimately decide whether a child is deported back to their country of origin. “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,” the report stated.

MORE

See also:

Juvenile Delinquents Are Now 'Justice-Involved Youth'
November 3, 2015 - They used to be called juvenile delinquents. But not any more.

The new term is "justice-involved youth," a non-disparaging, government-speak phrase that fits with the Obama administration's recent push to give people with criminal convictions a second chance to become productive citizens. "The Department of Justice is committed to giving justice-involved youth the tools they need to become productive members of society," Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a news release on Monday. Lynch said the Justice Department and the Department of Housing and Urban Development are launching a $1.7-million initiative to help Public Housing Authorities and legal assistance groups "reduce barriers for justice-involved youth."

The Obama administration is now using the term "justice-involved youth" to describe young criminals.​

Through the new Juvenile Re-Entry Assistance Program, DOJ and HUD will work collaboratively "to help individuals that have paid their debt to society rehabilitate and reintegrate back into their communities." That means young offenders leaving juvenile detention will not necessarily be excluded from public housing, jobs, or higher education. But second chances have their limits: "This program specifically excludes those who are convicted of making methamphetamine drugs, sex offenses or domestic violence," the news release said.

President Obama traveled to Newark, N.J. on Monday to announce that the federal government and federal contractors will no longer use criminal history to screen out job applicants before their qualifications are considered. "We can't dismiss people out of hand simply because of a mistake that they made in the past," Obama said. He is using his executive authority to "ban the box" for federal jobs. This is the box that asks if a job applicant has a criminal history.

Juvenile Delinquents Are Now 'Justice-Involved Youth'

 

[waltky]

Illegal Immigration Surge...

Illegal Immigration Surge: 106% More Unaccompanied Minors, 173% More 'Family Units' Apprehended
December 28, 2015 – The latest U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics show that illegal immigration by unaccompanied minors and family units surged during the first two months of FY2016 compared to the same period in FY2015.

According to CPB, 106 percent more unaccompanied alien children (UAC) under the age of 17 were apprehended illegally crossing the southern border of the U.S. between Oct. 1 and Nov. 30, 2015 than during the same time a year ago. Statistics released by the federal agency show that 10,588 UACs were apprehended at the nation’s southern border with Mexico compared to the first two months of FY2015, when 5,129 UACs were taken into custody. The surge in unaccompanied minors was concentrated in two sectors – Big Bend in Texas and Yuma in Arizona– which both saw a more than 500 percent increase in the number of UACs crossing into the U.S. illegally. The El Paso sector was next, reporting a 250 percent increase. The statistics also show an even larger surge in the number of family units apprehended at the border - a 173 percent increase so far in the first two months of FY2016.

Customs and Border Protection officer processes unaccompanied minor.​

According to statistics from FY2015 (Oct. 1 to Nov. 30, 2014) 4,577 family units were apprehended at the southwest border, compared to 12,505 during the same period in FY2016. Three sectors – Big Bend, El Paso in Texas, and Yuma – saw more than a 500 percent increase in family unit apprehensions. “Family unit” is defined by CBP as either a parent or guardian with a child under 18 years old. CBP also said that the Obama administration would be expanding its holding facilities to accommodate the latest surge in illegal immigration.

According to the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – the two federal agencies tasked with logistics for these illegal immigrants – bed capacity increased from 7,900 to 8,400 in November and the federal government “is preparing for temporary bed space in the event that additional beds are needed.” “Out of an abundance of caution, the Office of Refugee Resettlement at HHS has begun a process to expand its temporary capacity to house unaccompanied children,” a statement accompanying the statistics states. “This is a prudent step to ensure that the Border Patrol can continue its vital national security mission to prevent illegal migration, trafficking, and protect the borders of the United States.”

MORE

See also:

Central American nations announce deal on Cuban migrants
December 28, 2015 - Central American nations have reached a deal to let the first of thousands of stranded Cuban migrants continue their journey north toward the United States next month, officials said Monday.

The humanitarian transfer will airlift an unspecified number of Cubans the first week of January from Costa Rica to El Salvador, from where they will continue by bus toward Mexico, Costa Rica's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The Guatemalan government, which hosted a diplomatic meeting earlier in the day to consider the issue, described it as a "pilot" program and said a work group has been tasked with coordinating logistics. The two governments did not immediately release further details, citing some nations' desire for discretion on what has become a diplomatic flashpoint between Costa Rica and neighboring Nicaragua.

A Cuban woman migrant uses her cell phone while other Cubans sleep, outside of the border control building in Penas Blancas, Costa Rica, on the border with Nicaragua which closed its borders to Cuban migrants. The Costa Rican Foreign Ministry said in a Dec. 28 statement that the first humanitarian transfer will airlift the Cuban migrants from that country to El Salvador in January. From there they will continue by bus toward Mexico. The number of Cubans stranded in Costa Rica has reached at least 8,000 since neighboring Nicaragua closed its border to them weeks ago.​

The number of Cubans stranded in Costa Rica has reached at least 8,000 since Nicaragua closed its border to them weeks ago. The islanders say they are trying to reach the United States, where favorable migratory policies toward Cubans mean nearly all are allowed to stay and apply for residency. On Sunday, Pope Francis called for their plight to be resolved. Costa Rican Foreign Minister Manuel Gonzalez said the measure will be available only to Cubans who are already in Costa Rica. Ministry spokeswoman Melissa Duran told The Associated Press it will be up to the migrants to pay the costs of their travel, but did not give more specifics.

On Dec. 18, Costa Rica stopped issuing transit visas for Cuban migrants and announced that any who arrived after that without a visa would be deported. Cuba has seen a spike in outward migration in the year since it and Washington announced they would re-establish diplomatic ties after more than five decades of open hostility. Many Cuban migrants say they chose now to emigrate out of fear that detente could bring about an end to the U.S. policies that benefit them — although U.S. officials say no change is in the works. Cuba and its close ally Nicaragua argue that the U.S. policies toward Cubans encourage them to attempt dangerous migratory routes and cause a brain drain on the island.

Central American nations announce deal on Cuban migrants

 

[Claudette]

Put em on a bus and take them back across the border. No way should we taxpayers be hosed to care for non citizens.

 

[Old Rocks]

Well, by God, our Christians have certainly stated their Christ like opinions on this matter. LOL