Newsweek, December 2024
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is facing scrutiny after Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the agency’s responsibility for addressing child-trafficking ends once minors are handed over to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Newsweek contacted the DHS and the White House for comment via email outside of normal office hours.
Speaking on Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan on December 22, Mayorkas responded to questions about a report on missing migrant children. President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming border czar, Tom Homan, has claimed that many of these children are being exploited and trafficked. ICE failed to monitor more than 32,000 unaccompanied migrant children after their release from government custody, according to an audit by the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Homeland Security. The audit revealed that from 2019 to 2023, ICE transferred over 448,000 unaccompanied children to the HHS. After their release from HHS custody, the agency faced challenges in tracking the whereabouts of many of these children. During this time, over 32,000 children missed scheduled immigration court hearings, with ICE unable to account for their locations. The report reveals that the number of missing children may be even higher, as ICE did not issue Notices to Appear (NTAs) for 291,000 children, leaving them without court dates and outside the formal immigration system.
