The House Homeland Security Committee is raising alarms about the Biden-Harris administration's handling of migrant children after a significant number have reportedly fallen into labor trafficking networks within the United States.

Republican lawmakers are scrutinizing the Biden-Harris Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for allegedly failing to protect unaccompanied alien children (UAC) who have been released to adult sponsors across the country, many of whom have since become untraceable, as Breitbart reports.

The investigation, led by Reps. Mark Green, Clay Higgins, and Dan Bishop, comes after growing concerns that a substantial number of UACs have ended up in vulnerable situations after being released by U.S. authorities.

The Biden-Harris administration has faced criticism for over a year regarding its approach to managing the influx of migrant children, many of whom are believed to have entered labor trafficking pipelines.

Thousands Of Migrant Children Released to Sponsors

Over the past few years, hundreds of thousands of UACs have crossed the U.S. border, often without their biological parents. Once in the United States, these children are placed with adult sponsors, who are supposed to provide care and oversight. However, many of these sponsors are not related to the children, raising concerns about their safety and well-being.

From October 2020 to June 2024, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) released more than 430,000 UACs to these sponsors. Of these children, a significant number have gone missing, with an estimated 85,000 UACs becoming uncontactable and effectively "lost" within the system over a two-year period up to February 2023.

The New York Times previously reported on this alarming trend, noting that the lost children are highly vulnerable to exploitation, particularly in the form of labor trafficking. This has only intensified scrutiny of the Biden-Harris administration's policies and the oversight capabilities of the HHS.

Lawmakers Demand Answers From HHS

In response to these concerns, Reps. Green, Higgins, and Bishop sent a letter to top officials at the HHS, seeking detailed information about the fate of the UACs released since early 2021. The congressmen expressed deep concern over the apparent inability of the ORR to maintain contact with these children and to ensure their safety after release.

The lawmakers highlighted the vulnerability of UACs to human trafficking, especially given that many are placed in the hands of human smugglers and cartel members during their journey across the southwest border. The Committee is particularly focused on examining the ORR’s screening processes for both the children and their sponsors.

According to the letter, the sheer number of children encountered and subsequently released to sponsors, coupled with the inability to locate many of these lost children, makes it imperative to review the efficacy of the current system.

Labor Trafficking of Migrant Children on Rise

Further adding to the urgency of the investigation, a recent report from the Department of Labor revealed a staggering 88% increase in child labor trafficking during Fiscal Year 2023 compared to Fiscal Year 2019. This sharp rise has been linked to the growing number of migrant children, many of whom are UACs, being exploited in the workforce.

Last year alone, nearly 6,000 children were found working illegally in dangerous jobs across the United States. These children, some as young as pre-teens, are often forced into hazardous industries, such as construction and agriculture, where they are subjected to grueling conditions.

The HHS Inspector General, Christi Grimm, further underscored the gravity of the situation in a recent report. She revealed that in 22% of cases, the ORR failed to conduct proper follow-up calls with released migrant children. In one extreme instance, HHS officials did not check in with a child until nearly 325 days after their release.

Harris Remains Silent

Despite the mounting evidence and the growing concern among lawmakers and the public, Vice President Kamala Harris, who has been tasked with addressing the root causes of migration, has not publicly commented on the situation. Her silence has drawn criticism from various quarters, including members of Congress who are demanding more accountability from the administration.

The ongoing investigation by the House Homeland Security Committee is expected to delve deeper into the systemic issues within the HHS and ORR, with the goal of identifying potential reforms to prevent further exploitation of migrant children. The Committee's findings could have significant implications for the administration's immigration policies and its approach to handling the surge of UACs at the border.

Conclusion

The House Homeland Security Committee's investigation into the Biden-Harris administration's handling of unaccompanied migrant children comes at a critical time, as concerns grow over the number of these children who have become lost in the system and vulnerable to labor trafficking.

With over 85,000 UACs uncontactable and nearly 6,000 children found working illegally in dangerous jobs, lawmakers are calling for urgent reforms to protect these young migrants from exploitation.

As the investigation unfolds, the spotlight remains on the administration's response to this escalating crisis, with potential reforms on the horizon.