312
Opinion of the Court
Illinois, 405 U. S. 645, 656-657 (1972). It is impossible to contradict the Service's assessment that it lacks the "expertise," and is not "qualified," to do individualized child-placement studies, 53 Fed. Reg. 17449 (1988), and the right alleged here provides no basis for this Court to impose upon what is essentially a law enforcement agency the obligation to expend its limited resources in developing such expertise and qualification.7 That reordering of priorities is for Congress—which has shown, we may say, no inclination to shrink from the task. See, e. g., 8 U. S. C. § 1154(c) (requiring INS to determine if applicants for immigration are involved in "sham" marriages). We do not hold, as the dissent contends, that "minimizing administrative costs" is adequate justification for the Service's detention of juveniles, post, at 320; but we do hold that a detention program justified by the need to protect the welfare of juveniles is not constitutionally required to give custody to strangers if that entails the expenditure of administrative effort and resources that the Service is unwilling to commit.8
7 By referring unrelated persons seeking custody to state guardianship procedures, the INS is essentially drawing upon resources and expertise that are already in place. Respondents' objection to this is puzzling, in light of their assertion that the States generally view unrelated adults as appropriate custodians. See post, at 325-326, n. 7 (Stevens, J., dissenting) (collecting state statutes). If that is so, one wonders why the individuals and organizations respondents allege are eager to accept custody do not rush to state court, have themselves appointed legal guardians (temporary or permanent, the States have procedures for both), and then obtain the juveniles' release under the terms of the regulation. Respondents and their amici do maintain that becoming a guardian can be difficult, but the problems they identify—delays in processing, the need to ensure that existing parental rights are not infringed, the "bureaucratic gauntlet"— would be no less significant were the INS to duplicate existing state procedures.
8 We certainly agree with the dissent that this case must be decided in accordance with "indications of congressional policy," post, at 334. The most pertinent indication, however, is not, as the dissent believes, the federal statute governing detention of juveniles pending delinquency
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