DHS inspector general: 448,000 unaccompanied kids transferred under Biden
WASHINGTON, July 23 (UPI) -- Thousands of unaccompanied migrant children went missing in the United States in recent years after they were released to their sponsors, the Department of Homeland Security inspector general told a congressional subcommittee Wednesday.
These children were among more than 448,000 unaccompanied migrant children transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services between 2021 and 2024, according to government figures.
Testifying before the House Subcommittee on Federal Law Enforcement, DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari said the government had not reliably tracked children after their release from custody, leaving them vulnerable to labor exploitation, human trafficking and other abuses.
"Our review found that DHS and ICE lacked the ability to monitor or reliably determine the location of unaccompanied children after transfer to HHS," Cuffari said. "As a result, children have been released into situations where they are unaccounted for or placed at risk."
According to his written testimony, some 300,000 of those unaccompanied migrant children failed to appear for their immigration court proceedings as of September. Nearly 58,000 of them were under 12.
Cuffari told lawmakers that Immigration Customs Enforcement and Department of Homeland Security lacked sufficient coordination with HHS, and said agencies released some children to sponsors with missing address information or no familial connection.
"In many cases, we found missing sponsor addresses, sponsors with no known relation to the child and some sponsors housing multiple children without adequate oversight," he said.
Cuffari described a February 2025 enforcement initiative in which ICE reviewed approximately 50,000 sponsor addresses. Of those, only 12,347 children were located. Additionally,403 sponsors were arrested, many on charges related to immigration fraud or child endangerment.
Cuffari emphasized that the federal government lacks the personnel and resources to fix the problems with unaccompanied minor children, especially those who have been released to sponsors beyond the scope of federal monitoring.
Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa, condemned conditions in child detention facilities. "We are detaining, warehousing and denying children basic human rights, food, clean water, attorneys, and then wondering why they disappear."
Republicans on the panel used the testimony to fault the Biden administration for what they described as a breakdown in accountability.
"In 2021, DHS under [Alejandro] Mayorkas removed ICE vetting and handed the reins to HHS," said Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.
Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., asked whether criminal charges should be considered. "What would it take to investigate Secretary Mayorkas for child endangerment? Thirty thousand missing kids isn't enough?"
Democrats redirected criticism toward policies enacted under the Trump administration, highlighting the long-term effects of the children sent to detention centers.
"These children are shackled," said Rep. Lateefah Simon, D-Calif. "The physical and mental health and long-term trauma will exacerbate their pre-existing conditions to the trauma of their detention by our government."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
a few seconds ago
- The Hill
Newsom, Booker rally support for California redistricting on DNC call
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) appeared alongside Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin and Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier (D) as they rallied their party behind California's redistricting measure. 'Yes, we'll fight fire with fire. Yes, we will push back. It's not about whether we play hardball anymore. It's about how we play hardball,' Newsom said on the call. Newsom and California Democrats released a new set of congressional lines last week that look to offset expected gains Texas Republicans will likely make with their new House map once passed. Democrats are seeking to put their House map on the ballot before voters this November, pressing voters to allow lawmakers to redraw the map in the middle of the decade and bypass the state's independent redistricting commission. Republicans have already challenging California Democrats' ability to put the measure before voters and other top GOP leaders like former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R) have also signaled they're preparing to fight the map. The appearance of Booker and Newsom together is notable given both have been floated as 2028 White House hopefuls. The two painted a picture of democracy under threat and emphasized the stakes of the redistricting battle. 'The is all hands-on deck right now. People are going to ask, 'Where did you stand when Donald Trump was violating court orders?' 'Where did you stand when he was trashing the concept of due process in our country?'' Booker said. ''Where did you stand when he was sending out masked unidentified people in unmarked vehicles to sweep people off of our streets?'' 'I'll be damned if I'm going to continue to let Donald Trump, Republicans from Texas continue to disregard, demean and degrade other Americans, to deny them their rights without a fight,' he added later. During the call, state Rep. Nicole Collier (D) was asked to leave at one point while she was participating in the call from a bathroom in the Texas Capitol, saying 'They said it's a felony for me to do this. Apparently I can't be on the floor or in a bathroom.' It's unclear what wrongdoing Collier committed. The Hill has reached out to Collier's office, the Texas House Democratic Caucus and Texas House GOP caucus for comment. Democrats on the call slammed the move. 'Rep. Collier in the bathroom has more dignity than Donald Trump in the Oval Office,' Booker said. 'That is outrageous. What they're trying to do right there, is silence an American leader, silence a Black woman and that is outrageous,' he added.
New York Post
a few seconds ago
- New York Post
Elon Musk's wealth distribution idea, ‘anti-racist' math scam and other commentary
Health watch: RFK Jr.'s Herbicide Debacle It seems the 'RFK Jr.-led Make America Healthy Again commission is planning to chicken out of a crusade against glyphosate, an herbicide that the HHS secretary has argued causes cancer,' explains The Free Press' River Page. The Environmental Protection Agency 'has repeatedly concluded that glyphosate,' a k a Roundup, 'is safe if used according to label directions,' but 'in May, the MAHA commission specifically called out glyphosate' in a report that was 'effectively, a list of problems' with solutions to come in a second report. But banning glyphosate 'could cost farmers nearly $2 billion.' And thus, 'two weeks ago, an EPA official' said 'the unreleased report was going to state that glyphosate is safe after all.' 'This is what happens when the ideals of MAHA collide with a hugely powerful corner of the MAGA base' — farmers. Schools beat: The 'Anti-Racist' Math Scam Advertisement Renaissance Technologies billionaire Jim Simons sent much of his charitable donations to math and science research, but his daughter Liz is instead 'supercharging a movement to remake K-12 mathematics education according to social justice principles,' reports Lee Fang at RealClearInvestigatons. The goal: 'to motivate disadvantaged students while dispensing with the traditional features of math,' like numbers — even though 'no credible research' shows this approach improves performance. With the Gates Foundation joining in, billionaires are pushing lunacy like 'elevating DEI practices and anti-racist activism into all math instruction' — even as they're met with 'sharp criticism from parents and educators' because approaches 'that have increased rather than decreased academic rigor' have seen 'notable improvements in black student performance.' Anti-trust alert: Lobbyists Rule at Justice Advertisement 'Genuine MAGA reformers' at the Justice Department are pitted against 'MAGA-in-name-only lobbyists,' frets former Antitrust Division lawyer Roger P. Alford at UnHerd. The pseudo-MAGA lobbyists — enabled by the attorney general's chief of staff, Chad Mizelle, and acting Associate AG Stanley Woodward — end run those who 'strive to remain true to President Trump's populist message.' There's 'nothing wrong with lobbying done the right way,' but with legal settlements worked out at booze-filled lunches, these swamp creatures 'are violating fundamental moral principles.' Get opinions and commentary from our columnists Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters Liberal: Dems Must Do Better Than Newsom Advertisement Gavin Newsom 'wants to be president,' grumbles Michael Baharaeen at The Liberal Patriot, and 'has all but crowned himself the leader' of the Trump Resistance. But 'Democrats would do well not to allow their anger at Trump' get the better of them and back a 'candidate with many of his own vulnerabilities' just because he's 'willing to throw punches at Republicans.' Newsom's national appeal is 'quite limited': He's 'struggled' as governor, with California suffering 'net population loss' thanks largely to the state's 'unaffordability.' He's spent his 'career in a deep-blue state' and as the 'executive of by far its most liberal major city,' when Democrats need swing voters who'll be deeply skeptical of a 'blue-state governor' who's 'failed to adequately handle the issues they care about most.' From the right: AI's No Excuse for More Welfare Tesla's Elon Musk, OpenAI's Sam Altman and other high rollers 'envision a 'massive wealth-redistribution system' to placate worries over technology displacing human work,' warns The Wall Street Journal's Jason L. Riley. Advertisement But 'universal basic income' is an old, bad idea. Sure, 'the economic uncertainty surrounding AI' lends 'understandable appeal' to 'the idea of a social insurance program in the form of a minimum level of income for everyone.' Argh: Since 'the early days' of America's 'war on poverty,' it seems we've lost the understanding that 'you alleviate privation by reducing dependency on the government and creating incentives to become more productive.' Fact is, 'taking from workers to give to those who refuse to work is a recipe for resentment and a bumper crop of layabouts.' — Compiled by The Post Editorial Board
New York Post
a few seconds ago
- New York Post
JD Vance raises $4M for Republican National Committee during UK trip
WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance raked in $4 million for the Republican National Committee during his jaunt to the United Kingdom last week, adding more cash to the GOP pot ahead of next year's midterms, The Post has learned. The VP met with several RNC donors living overseas as he traveled across Britain, including stops in the Cotswolds and Scotland, according to a source familiar with the discussions. Federal rules allow Americans living or travelling abroad to contribute to political organizations and campaigns. The UK trip was the latest fundraising sojourn Vance has made since being tapped as RNC finance chair in March. Vice President JD Vance speaks during a meeting with Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy at Chevening House in Kent, England, Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. AP The veep previously raised money in Houston, Dallas, Manhattan, Atlanta, Nashville, San Diego, Nantucket, Jackson Hole, and Big Sky, Montana. Vance's first big donor dinner was held in New York City where tickets ran as high as $250,000 per head, The Post previously reported. He then raked in $3 million at his fundraiser in Nantucket last month. Those close to the White House believe Vance's RNC post, an unprecedented position for a vice president to hold, will boost him in his near-certain bid for the GOP presidential nomination in 2028. Trump told reporters Aug. 5 that Vance was the 'most likely' heir to the 45th and 47th president's Make America Great Again movement. U.S. Vice President JD Vance plays golf at Trump Turnberry golf course, during his holiday, in Turnberry, Scotland, Britain, August 14, 2025. REUTERS 'Last year, President Trump won an historic election victory, taking back the White House and helping Republicans regain control of the Senate and retain control of the House,' Vance said in a statement at the time of his appointment. 'But to fully enact the MAGA mandate and President Trump's vision that voters demanded, we must keep and grow our Republican majorities in 2026.' During his visit, Vance also spoke to British officials and successfully convinced the UK to drop its demand to access personal cloud data storage, which could have impacted the privacy of American citizens. On Aug. 8, the 41-year-old went trout fishing with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in England ahead of a discussion of US-UK relations, Gaza and Ukraine.
