The federal government has lost track of more than 32,000 unaccompanied migrant children who crossed the U.S. border, according to a recent report by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG).
The report, released Tuesday, highlights severe shortcomings in Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) ability to monitor these vulnerable minors.
“[ICE] could not monitor the location and status of all unaccompanied migrant children (UCs) or initiate removal proceedings as needed,” the report states.
“During our ongoing audit to assess ICE’s ability to monitor the location and status of UCs who were released or transferred from the custody of [DHS] and [HHS], we learned ICE transferred more than 448,000 UCs to HHS from fiscal years 2019 to 2023. However, ICE was not able to account for the location of all UCs who were released by HHS and did not appear as scheduled in immigration court. ICE reported more than 32,000 UCs failed to appear for their immigration court hearings from FYs 2019 to 2023.”
Since fiscal year 2019, tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors have crossed the border and been released from the custody of DHS and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The DHS OIG report revealed that ICE has been unable to account for the whereabouts of at least 32,000 of these children, who failed to appear for their scheduled immigration court hearings.
This failure to track the children poses a significant risk, as these minors are particularly vulnerable to trafficking, forced labor, and exploitation.
The report explained that ICE’s inability to monitor the location and status of these unaccompanied minors means the agency has no way of ensuring their safety.
According to the report, “Immigration court hearings are often ICE’s only opportunity to detect trafficking indicators,” making the missed court appearances a critical issue.
The Inspector General’s report also pointed out that the number of unaccounted-for minors could be even higher.
ICE did not issue court dates to over 291,000 unaccompanied minors, which increases the likelihood that these children have fallen off the radar, making it even harder for ICE to ensure their safety.
From 2019 to 2023, ICE transferred nearly 450,000 unaccompanied children to HHS, which is responsible for placing them with sponsors or in foster homes. However, the lack of oversight and inadequate data sharing between federal agencies has led to significant gaps in the monitoring process.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) strongly condemned the Biden administration in response to the report, calling the situation a “modern-day slavery operation.”
Johnson criticized the administration’s handling of the southern border, describing it as a “national security disaster and a humanitarian catastrophe.” He expressed deep concern over the lack of effective action to address the crisis and called for emergency hearings to investigate the issue.
“This administration’s failure to secure our border is facilitating what is the equivalent of a modern-day slavery operation,” Johnson stated during a press call on Tuesday evening.
“The southern border is a national security disaster and a humanitarian catastrophe, and Kamala Harris cannot be trusted to fix it. This is one of the biggest scandals in American history; it’s one of the most tragic; and we have to hold emergency hearings.”
The OIG’s findings are based on a thorough review of ICE data and interviews with over 100 officials from various agencies and offices involved in handling unaccompanied minors.
Despite the alarming findings, ICE has yet to comment on the report.
In response to these revelations, the DHS OIG has urged ICE to take immediate corrective actions to address these issues, including improving data sharing between federal agencies. ICE has reportedly agreed with the recommendations.
As this urgent issue unfolds, the safety and well-being of thousands of vulnerable children remain at risk, underscoring the critical need for immediate and effective action by federal authorities.