FIRST ON FOX: Over 70 Republicans in the House are increasing the pressure on the Biden administration after reports that officials have been unable to contact tens of thousands of unaccompanied child migrants released to sponsors — and that many have been trafficked into forced labor.
Led by Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., the 76 lawmakers wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra seeking detailed answers about reports in the New York Times that HHS has been unable to contact 85,000 child migrants and that the surge in child migrants at the border has coincided with an “explosive” growth in child labor in the U.S.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics show the number of unaccompanied minors has surged from 33,239 in fiscal year 2020 to more than 146,000 in fiscal year 2021 and 152,000 in fiscal year 2022. The lawmakers note that reflected a 400% increase from FY20.
After child migrants are encountered at the southern border they are transferred from CBP to HHS, where efforts are made to release them to a sponsor — typically a parent or relative, often ones in the country illegally.
The New York Times detailed a rise in child exploitation, where children are pressed into forced labor, sometimes to pay back their smuggling costs. It has led to concerns that, by transporting children to sponsors, the U.S. is contributing to child labor trafficking. The Times reported how officials reportedly ignored signs of “explosive” growth in the child labor force and how officials scrambled to clear shelters that were at capacity.
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In this March 30, 2021 file photo, young migrants wait to be tested for COVID-19 at the Donna Department of Homeland Security holding facility, the main detention center for unaccompanied children in the Rio Grande Valley, in Donna, Texas. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills, Pool, File)
“These children are sent by their parents and drawn to our country for economic opportunity. Then, our systems and the protections they should be afforded fail them as a lack of vetting puts them in harm’s way,” the lawmakers said.
“It is the responsibility of HHS to properly vet the people these children are being released to and to protect them from being exploited. Yet, it has been reported that caseworkers feel rushed to move children out of government custody quickly and are not fully…
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