Raising alarms over systemic shortcomings, Senator Josh Hawley has strongly criticized Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about the disturbing number of missing immigrant children.
According to The Post Millenial, recent findings reveal grave oversight failures regarding the safety tracking of young immigrants transferred to sponsors.
The distressing statistics originate from a meticulous evaluation by the Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General. This review scrutinized events up through the current year relating to unaccompanied immigrant minors. Sen. Hawley directed his ire towards Secretary Mayorkas, accusing the administration of serious lapses in safeguarding these children.
Notably, between the fiscal years 2019 and 2023, the report counted 448,820 such minors entering the U.S. A substantial oversight was identified; two-thirds of these children, approximately 291,000, were not issued "notice to appear" documents for their obligatory immigration court appearances.
Adding to the concern, an alarming number of minors, about 32,000, who received their court notices failed to show up, and no substantial follow-up ensued to ascertain their whereabouts.
Challenging Policy and Protection Standards
As the tracking mishaps accumulate, the underlying issue of how these vulnerable minors are placed with sponsors without comprehensive vetting comes to the forefront. This misstep potentially exposes them to exploitation and neglect.
Senator Hawley has expressed profound dissatisfaction with how these instances reflect on the current government's immigration and border policies.
In his demanding tone, Senator Hawley’s correspondence to Secretary Mayorkas did not mince words about the perceived negligence. “Unaccompanied migrant children are some of the most vulnerable individuals in America," he stated.
Sen. Josh Hawley’s letter referenced extensive abuses faced by these children: traffic offenses, forced labor, and physical abuses at the hands of criminal cartels. Reflecting deeply on these issues, Hawley insisted on immediate accountability and measures to tackle this critical issue.
He also quantified his concerns, "Your agency may have lost track of more than a quarter million unaccompanied children—a horrifyingly large number."
Falling Through the Cracks
Hawley’s allegations are anchored in a broader critique of federal inefficiencies and a call for urgent action to mend the systemic gaps now contributing to potential human rights violations. He demands a swift public response to locate these children and implement effective policies for better tracking and protection.
In a detailed denouncement of the DHS’s efforts, Sen. Hawley highlighted significant accountability flaws: “According to the report, your agency 'was not able to account' for the location of unaccompanied children who did receive court notices and failed to appear in immigration court. That was at least 32,000 children.”
Addressing the Gaps in Child Protection
Amidst these complaints, it is noteworthy that Secretary Mayorkas had previously asserted the prioritization of rescuing trafficked children during his testimony in October 2023. However, the reported figures and subsequent calls for accountability from Sen. Hawley suggest a gap between policy intent and implementation.
This controversy places additional pressure on the Biden-Harris administration to rectify the perceived inadequacies in handling these sensitive immigration issues. The significant number of children potentially at risk magnifies the urgency of reforming and enhancing procedures and policies to ensure no child is left unprotected.
Senator Hawley's call to Secretary Mayorkas underlines a critical concern over the whereabouts of over 320,000 untracked immigrant children, revealing significant flaws in federal tracking systems. The report from the DHS Inspector General highlights a systemic failure that has let potentially hundreds of thousands of children fall through the cracks, yielding an urgent call for revamped and diligent oversight mechanisms.
The overarching shadow this scenario casts on the Biden-Harris administration's immigration policies summons a dire need for immediate and transparent improvement to ensure the safety and rights of these vulnerable children are uncompromised.
