The Brief

The Trump administration virtually has stopped releasing undocumented children in federal custody to their parents and other relatives. That’s according to data obtained by the California Newsroom, immigration attorneys around the country and officials inside the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), the agency tasked with caring for those children.

The Administration for Children and Families, which oversees ORR, said via email that the office “has not issued a moratorium” on such releases but said earlier this year it put in place “enhanced vetting policies” for adults who will care for the children after their release. The goal, it said, was to better protect children from harm.

However, sources with knowledge of the office’s directives contradict that claim, saying ORR leadership began issuing verbal orders to staff in early November to stop releasing kids to their relatives until further notice.

Here’s what we know right now:

Who are the children stuck in federal custody?

These are kids without legal immigration status — from toddlers to teenagers — who were apprehended crossing the border without a parent or legal guardian or were separated from them during arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The children are then handed over to ORR, which usually places them at shelters it oversees around the country. There are about 2,400 kids in ORR custody right now.

Here in California, there are about 30 shelters with more than 300 kids altogether.

Most of these children came to the U.S. to join their parents or other family members, whom immigration officials call sponsors. ORR must vet those adults before the kids can be released to them.

Attorneys say many of these kids are fleeing violence, persecution or abuse in their home countries, and they plan to apply for an immigration status that protects them from being deported back to those situations.

What’s happening to them now?

According to eight officials at ORR, who asked not to be named because they fear losing their jobs, the government largely stopped releasing children to sponsors in early November, even those who had cleared the vetting process.

Eight immigration attorneys across the country — in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, Charlotte and Washington, D.C. — said that since early November, they have not been able to get kids with cleared sponsors out of ORR custody in most cases, even after sending letters to ORR demanding they be released and threatening litigation. The attorneys said the government has not explained why it won't let the kids go.

According to recent ORR data obtained by the California Newsroom, the government released about four children per day to sponsors throughout the month of October, before releases were all but stopped. That’s a little over 100 children for the month.

Over the past month and a half, ORR has released just four kids total to sponsors, according to the data.

It’s unclear why the four were released and no other children were.

“ORR continues to discharge children to vetted sponsors when all statutory and safety requirements are fully met and when release is assessed to be appropriate given the child’s individual needs and circumstances,” the Administration for Children and Families told the California Newsroom. “Each case is evaluated individually, and decisions are made based on child welfare best practices.”

But three ORR officials with knowledge of the office’s release process told the California Newsroom that in early November, agency leadership ordered a hold on releasing children to sponsors until further notice, even if the sponsors have been cleared to receive them.

The sources said the order was not put in writing, but issued verbally to field officers across the country who are charged with signing off on releases.

"Many cases are absolutely ready to go, but because releases aren’t being allowed, they are in limbo,” said a field officer who received the order.

Neha Desai, who leads the National Center for Youth Law’s work on behalf of immigrant children, pushed back on the agency’s explanation for the stalled releases, citing research that shows prolonged detention is detrimental to children’s health.

“There are currently many children in custody who are very predictably experiencing a severe mental health decline,” she said. “The premise that kids are necessarily safer while in government custody than they are in the homes of their families is fundamentally flawed.”

Marion “Mickey” Donovan-Kaloust, legal services director at Immigrant Defenders Law Center in L.A., said that, whatever the reason for the vanishingly few sponsor releases, it’s taking a toll on kids.

“Children are very tearful, expressing difficulty sleeping,” she said. “No one can tell them, ‘Well, just wait a little longer, only this step is missing.’ We have no idea why they’re still detained.“

Has this ever happened before?

Child welfare experts inside and outside ORR who work with migrant children told the California Newsroom they’ve never seen reunifications at a virtual standstill, the way they have since early November.

Starting this spring, the Trump administration began adding new vetting requirements for sponsors — for example, all adult members of a household have to be fingerprinted, and sponsors claiming to be related to the child must take DNA tests.

“Earlier this year ORR enhanced its sponsor vetting policies — since the previous administration’s policies prioritized speed over safety and put children in danger — to address common categories of sponsor fraud and to establish clear protocols for detecting, documenting, and preventing criminals from exploiting children,” the Administration for Children and Families said.

The requirements added earlier this year ground vetting to a crawl.

“Across the board, we are seeing prolonged detention and extreme delays in the reunification process,” said Alexa Sendukas, an attorney at the Galveston-Houston Immigration Representation Project.

Kids who would have spent only a few weeks in ORR custody are now stuck there for months, advocates said. Prior to November, they were at least trickling out of custody on a daily basis, according to the ORR data.

ACF did not specify whether yet another vetting process has been put in place since early November.

What are advocates doing about it?

In addition to sending letters to ORR demanding the government release children in its care, attorneys also are preparing to file habeas corpus petitions — in other words, they’ll be asking federal courts to force the government to release kids based on the claim that it has no legal reason to detain them.

Many of those attorneys now are having to learn the mechanics of a habeas petition, which, until recently, has rarely been necessary for children.

“Habeas is really starting to feel like the only way to help a child get to their family,” Donovan-Kaloust said.

Why isn’t the administration releasing kids now?

Sources within ORR said the office’s leadership is keeping a tight lid on why reunifications have been halted, and when or whether they will return to previous levels.

Attorneys have said that an increasing number of children are deciding that waiting to be released to their sponsors isn’t worth it. Instead, they’re choosing to get out of U.S. custody by leaving the country.

Scott Bassett, managing attorney for the children’s program at Amica Center for Immigrant Rights in Washington, D.C., said the delay in getting kids released has turned ORR shelters into “pressure cookers.” In addition to expanding the vetting requirements for sponsors, Bassett listed off the other ways the Trump administration has twisted the screws on unaccompanied minors: fining them thousands of dollars for entering the U.S. without authorization, arresting family members who come to claim them and offering them money to leave the country.

Now, attorneys have to tell children there’s no way to know how long they could be in federal custody.

“That's definitely contributing to these decisions to take voluntary departure,” Bassett said.

During a recent visit to an ORR shelter, Bassett said he was wrapping up a know-your-rights training when a teenage girl raised her hand and asked a simple question: “Why do they keep doing this to us?”

The California Newsroom is a collaboration of public media outlets throughout the state, with NPR as its national partner. 

A years-long effort to bring fast, reliable internet to Catalina Island cleared a major vote today after the California Public Utility Commission awarded $37 million to install subsea fiber internet infrastructure between Orange County and the island.

More than 4,000 residents on Catalina Island don’t have reliable internet. That’s because the rural island doesn’t have fiber broadband infrastructure, and large communication companies don’t serve the area because of high costs.

“We currently operate off of a microwave tower, and it’s time that Avalon had nothing better than the rest of the mainland, but the same,” Avalon City Councilmember Lisa Lavelle said during public comment.

Lance Ware, CEO of AVX Networks, the telecom company tasked with building Catalina Island’s broadband infrastructure, said this project is significant to the quality of life for island residents.

“No one thought Catalina really was worthy,” Ware told LAist. “It really took a long time to convince the grant makers that this is a very much underserved community … not only digitally red lined, but forgotten about from an infrastructure perspective, and I mean that beyond communications.”

The impact to the community is almost immeasurable, he added.

“The access to that technology, workforce development, economic development and just the potential outcomes change massively for everybody involved,” Ware said. “Our ability to deliver world-class health care and public safety is huge.”

What we know about the project

The commission distributed more than $96 million in federal grant funds during Thursday’s meeting to five groups for high-speed broadband projects, including AVX Networks.

The planned proposal includes building a fiber-optic network above and underground from Catalina Island to the Orange County coast.

When it comes to internet connection, the entire island is unserved, according to the commission’s agenda report. That means it has zero access to broadband internet.

According to records, the undersea cables will run under the San Pedro Channel from two points on the island to landings near Huntington Beach. Those cables will then connect to the Middle Mile Broadband Network in Stanton.

The grant will cover 100% of the project costs, records show.

What’s next?

Grantees are required to follow a set of rules to receive funds, and that includes committing to providing internet service at affordable rates.

Ware said AVX Networks will have a low-income plan at $40 a month at 100/100 Mbps — this is the download and upload speed of the service.

“We chose to go symmetrical, which means the upload is the same as the download,” Ware added. “For people doing video streaming or telemedicine or FaceTime, even, or e-learning, it's really important to have symmetrical bandwidth.”

AVX Networks also has committed to maintaining those rates for at least 10 years, the commission agenda reported.

Next, the company needs to get permits for building out the project and surveying a route on the sea floor for the cables.

The city of Anaheim spent around $17 million on credit card purchases from places like Target, Walmart and Amazon over the past two years, recently obtained records show, but the system hasn't been audited since 2018.

Anaheim spokesperson Mike Lyster, who along with city leadership did not answer detailed questions about the purchases, confirmed the lack of audit.

The absence of audits was a central issue former purchasing agent Kari Bouffard included in a tort claim in June alleging she was fired for raising concerns that the city’s top finance official, Debbie Moreno, was enabling fraud, wasting millions of taxpayer dollars and lying to the City Council.

In the legal claim, Bouffard says when she raised concerns over the lack of an audit with the city’s audit team, which then wanted to audit the credit card program, she alleges Moreno told her: “Do not let them in the door.”

“I found her response unprofessional, dismissive, and deeply concerning, particularly given her role as Finance Director and her responsibility to support accountability and internal controls,” Bouffard wrote.

In October, Lyster confirmed an external legal team is conducting “an independent outside review” of the allegations in the tort claim. But he did not answer questions about who the firm is or how much that contract has cost the city.

LAist requested and reviewed credit card monthly billing statements for all city-issued credit cards for the past two years. The statements show city employees spent tens of thousands of public money at places like Target, Walmart and Amazon on “food, office and other operational supplies for city business purposes,” according to Lyster. The statements do not show details about specific purchases.

The Amazon purchases totaled around $1.7 million of public money over the two years, according to the data. Anaheim provided a breakdown of the Amazon purchases that did not include details about what was bought at the online marketplace.

Lyster said Anaheim monitors credit card purchases appropriately.

He confirmed credit card purchases were last audited in 2018 by the city’s Internal Audit team.

“There was no larger concern with any of the findings, and we reject any mischaracterization and misinformation about oversight of the city’s purchasing cards,” Lyster said in a statement.

Lyster told LAist the city’s purchasing agent, who until recently was Bouffard, can “pursue audits at any time,” but one has not been done recently. In the tort claim, Bouffard said she raised concerns with Moreno over “lack of time and staffing within the Purchasing Division to adequately manage and audit the program.” Moreno’s solution, she said, was a temporary staffer — “an insufficient solution given the scope of responsibilities,” Bouffard wrote.

Lyster also said the financial firm KPMG conducts an annual audit of a sample of credit card transactions. LAist asked Lyster for a copy of the KPMG sample audit, but he did not share it.

Anaheim’s credit card spending amounts to about $800,000 a month.

The city of Irvine, also one of OC’s most populous cities, spends around $500,000 on credit cards every month, according to city spokesperson Kristina Perrigoue. Those purchases are audited monthly, Perrigoue said. Irvine’s purchasing staff randomly selects one department per month to audit and they audit a sample of purchases.

“We take the five users with the highest number of transactions and audit all their transactions for the prior month,” Perrigoue said.

Why it matters

Earlier this year, Anaheim grappled with how to close a $60 million budget shortfall after spending more than they were generating in revenue. City leaders closed the deficit with proceeds from capital bonds and by pulling money previously set aside to repay debt. The City Council recently declined to put a gate tax at its entertainment venues, including Disneyland, to voters. Instead, the majority of the council decided to meet at a future date to discuss revenue generating ideas. At that meeting, Mayor Ashleigh Aitken called for “tightening our belts” to boost revenue.

LAist review of the credit card purchases showed significant spending at vendors — some with which Anaheim has cooperative agreements with.

Cooperative agreements allow agencies like the city of Anaheim to pre-negotiate pricing so they get the best deals.

Anaheim’s credit card policy states that the credit card can only be used for the small dollar purchase of supplies or off-site services. Typically, for bigger purchases, cities turn to cooperative agreements.

“The vast majority of city purchasing — most purchases more than $10,000 — is done by purchase order or contract,” Lyster told LAist.

Credit cards, Lyster said, “provide an efficient, cost-effective way of making smaller purchases, rather than use of petty cash, direct payments, cash advances and check requests, which can be more cumbersome, administratively costly and bring their own risks of misuse.”

“There are cases where a purchase order or contract would be unnecessary and excessive, adding time and cost and impacting timely service to our community,” he continued.

LAist has shared our findings with Aitken, City Manager Jim Vanderpool and all council members. We have also reached out to Moreno for an interview. We will update this story if we hear back.

Here are some of our key findings from Anaheim’s credit card purchases:

• Over $800,000 spent on restaurants

City employees spent more than $800,000 on restaurants in Southern California and elsewhere over two years including around $60,000 at K&A Restaurant and over $20,000 on In-N-Out. Some restaurants from the credit card statement include Aloha Steakhouse in Ventura County, Tacos 1986 in Pasadena and BaBaLoo Lounge in Palm Desert.

Lyster told LAist the restaurant spends “are catering expenses for events or meals for special work operations.”

He said the city also provides meals when they “bring together a large contingent of our own police officers and those of other agencies to work demonstrations, high-profile dignitary visits or other occasions,” especially for work in the evening or on weekends.

Lyster added that the council meetings are also catered and the city hosts community events where they cater food for the public.

• Around $650,000 spent on hotels

LAist’s review of the credit card purchases showed thousands of dollars spent at hotels, including the Grand Hyatt in Nashville, Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and a pet hotel in Oxnard.

“The vast majority of this spending is for employee development to ensure our people are continually learning and aware of best professional standards,” Lyster said about the hotel charges. “This is an investment in our workforce that brings better service to our community.”

• Around $40,000 spent at Costco, close to $120,000 at Sam’s Club, around $120,000 at Target and around $57,000 on Walmart purchases in two years

Lyster attributed this spend to “food and supplies.”

The Community Services Department, he said, buys “food and crafts and other supplies” for the city’s Fun on Wheels program, the Mobile Library and family resource centers.

He declined to answer questions on whether employees submit a request for the purchase of goods and services and how the city tracks if these purchases are used for public benefit. The requests, called requisitions, are typical first steps in the purchasing process detailing quantity, description and use, Bouffard told LAist. When she worked at the county, all purchases went through this “checks and balances process,” she said.

• Over $600,000 spent at Home Depot, more than $550,000 at Office Depot and over $340,000 at Grainger

Lyster didn’t confirm if the purchases at these vendors were made using a purchase order.

He confirmed Anaheim has accounts with Grainger, Office Depot and others, but not if the city’s credit card purchases at the vendors are made through the dedicated account.

LAist correspondent Jordan Rynning contributed to this report.

An affordable housing complex in Altadena will get $2 million in state dollars to help with remediation and repairs for wildfire damage, state and L.A. County officials announced this week.

Before the Eaton Fire damaged the facility, the Altadena Vista Senior Apartments provided 21 housing units for people aged 55 and over with incomes at or below 60% of the area median income.

The Eaton Fire did an estimated $7 million in damage to the complex, according to the Los Angeles County Development Authority, which has owned and operated the complex for more than three decades.

Insurance will cover about half of the complex’s nearly $2 million claim, according to the authority.

The influx of state dollars will allow it to bring these much-needed affordable housing units back online within about a year, officials said.

State Sen. Sasha Renée Peréz advocated for the state general fund dollars to be used for the Altadena complex’s recovery.

"We want to get people back inside fast,” Peréz said Wednesday at a press event. "This location was identified as a space that needed some additional financial assistance, and we could get 21 people back into housing very quickly."

Most displaced residents are planning to return, but about six have decided to permanently relocate to other areas, according to the development authority.

Before the fire, Wayne Clarvoe had lived at the apartment complex since 2014. The 64-year-old said he’s been struggling to find affordable rent elsewhere.

"The cost of living here was fair,” Clarvoe said of his former home. "I was able to afford the rent, compared to what's going on now.

"This is a very special day for me. This is the beginning of all of the residents coming back to Altadena, and especially this building here."

Fire damage

The area where the apartments are located didn’t receive an official evacuation order until 5:42 a.m. Jan. 8, according to county officials.

But Clarvoe said he and about 20 other residents decided to leave the buildings the previous night.

Sometime the next morning, Clarvoe said, he noticed one of the apartment buildings had caught on fire. He flagged down firefighters for help.

"The fire was in the walls and traveling up into the attic," Clarvoe said. "If we'd have waited any longer, this building would not have been standing here."

Two units at the Altadena Vista Apartments were badly damaged by the Eaton Fire.

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Aaron Schrank

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LAist

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Two units were damaged by the flames. The complex’s carports and roof were damaged by embers. And water from fire sprinklers warped walls and carpets in several units.

During the repairs, the development authority said it will update the facility. For example, it hopes to make all units accessible for residents with disabilities, instead of just a few.

The authority’s director of construction and asset management, Carolina Romo, said the complex settled its insurance claim Dec. 16, nearly a year after filing it.

A community need 

Peréz said she worked with the nonprofit Department of Angels to identify community priorities for wildfire recovery. Affordable housing, particularly for older adults, quickly rose to the top, she said.

At Wednesday's press event, officials highlighted a survey by the Eaton Fire Collaborative that found 78% of renters can’t afford the asking price for a one-bedroom unit in Altadena.

There were fewer than 200 federally subsidized units in Altadena before the Eaton Fire, according to a UCLA report. More than a quarter of renters there were spending half of their income on housing.

Officials say the state funding will accelerate the rebuilding process.

"This investment is a major step to protect needed housing for seniors who deserve to age in place," said L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Altadena.

However, the funds won’t cover the full cost of Altadena Vista’s remediation and repairs.

Barger has authored a separate L.A. County motion requesting more than $4 million from a federal grant program to cover the rest.

The funding for the Altadena Vista Apartments is part of a larger $8 million in state general fund dollars Peréz secured for rapid rehousing efforts in Altadena, she said.

That includes $1 million for San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity and $1 million for Greenline Housing Foundation.