Everyone knows that getting between an animal and its young is losing prospect. Bear cubs, elk calves and the like are cute but it’s best to admire them from a safe distance. So it’s puzzling that some human parents would willingly send their young children off alone across hostile terrain to a foreign country where they hope they’ll somehow be united with distant family members or “sponsors.” It’s also puzzling that the reports of hundreds of thousands of young immigrant children who have gone missing in the U.S. in recent years isn’t receiving more attention.
A 2024 Inspector General report revealed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) failed to track approximately 300,000 unaccompanied immigrant children, raising alarms about their safety. Republicans argue this reflects failures in the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration policies, citing the risk of exploitation, including sex trafficking and forced labor. Democrats contend the “missing” label is misleading, as many children may be living safely with family or sponsors.
The DHS report, published in August 2024, found that ICE did not issue court notices to 291,000 unaccompanied migrant children between 2019 and May 2024, making them “unaccounted for” in the system. The report notes that children who miss court dates are at higher risk of trafficking, exploitation, or forced labor due to the lack of monitoring. Critics, including Senator Marsha Blackburn,(R-TN) are pressing DHS and ICE for answers on what they call a “dereliction of duty.” Blackburn and others argue that lax border policies under the Biden-Harris administration have enabled cartels and traffickers to exploit vulnerable children, with some estimates suggesting up to 320,000 children are untracked.
The scale of the issue is staggering. Since 2019, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) has processed hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied minors, placing them with sponsors while their immigration cases proceed. However, the DHS reports gaps in follow-up, noting that ICE’s record-keeping failures and communication breakdowns with agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have left many children’s whereabouts unknown.
Whistleblower Tara Rodas accused the administration of failing to investigate over 7,000 trafficking reports, contributing to a backlog of 65,000 cases. Such accounts have led to accusations that the administration’s policies have indirectly fueled a “multibillion-dollar” trafficking industry.
On the other hand, some experts and officials argue the “missing” label is an oversimplification. A CBS News report states that the 323,000 children referenced in the Department of Human Services (DHS) report are not necessarily lost but may not have received court notices due to bureaucratic inefficiencies, such as outdated addresses or communication failures. Many are likely living with vetted sponsors, often parents or relatives, and attending school. How many children must go missing before CBS News considers it a problem?
Jonathan H. Hayes, former Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement testified in 2019 that Health and Human Service’s (HHS) role is to provide temporary care and place children in safe environments, a responsibility he claims the Trump administration largely fulfilled, while critics of the “missing” narrative assert that that tracking challenges also existed during the Trump administration.
The risks to unaccompanied minors are real, however. The DHS report acknowledges that children who go missing are more vulnerable to exploitation. A National Review article cited Senator Chuck Grassley’s call for HHS to address these risks, while a BBC report quoted immigration researcher Eric Ruark, who attributed the tracking issues to “apathy, incompetence, and bureaucratic inefficiency.” The polarized discourse is further complicated by political figures like Sen. Richard Blumenthal, (D-CT) who urged critics like Governor Kristi Noem to “put aside” concerns about the administration’s role, arguing that the focus should be on solutions rather than blame.
The Biden-Harris administration has defended its record, pointing to efforts like the 2020 National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, which coordinates federal agencies to prevent exploitation. However, the administration’s critics, including Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, argue that these measures fall short, with Homan asserting that many children are “not missing” but “sold” to unvetted sponsors, some of whom subject the children to abuse. This rhetoric underscores the urgency of addressing systemic gaps.
Ultimately, the crisis of unaccompanied migrant children reveals a mix of policy failures, bureaucratic challenges, and political narratives. While the Biden-Harris administration placed many children with sponsors, the lack of vigorous tracking mechanisms has left thousands potentially vulnerable.
Both sides agree that reforms are needed, with better inter-agency coordination, stricter sponsor vetting, and enhanced follow-up protocols to manage risks. As the Trump administration now prioritizes locating these children, citizens must confront the human cost of inaction.
RawPixel.com” src=”https://images.americanthinker.com/lh/lhcexdma3omkybjkfqe7_640.jpg” width=”450″ />
Image: RawPixel.com
This article was originally published at www.americanthinker.com
