The Department of Homeland Security acknowledged Thursday that under the Biden administration, some unaccompanied migrant children were placed with sponsors who later impregnated them.
In other cases, minors who arrived at the border without parents were released to adults with serious criminal histories, including possession of child pornography or involvement in forced labor, the department said, the Washington Times reported.
Hundreds of thousands of these unaccompanied children entered the U.S. during a surge at the southern border. The administration, overwhelmed by the volume, expedited their release from overcrowded and unsafe detention facilities. Officials now acknowledge that this action put some children in unsafe situations.
“Children’s safety and security is non-negotiable,” said Laszlo Baksay, a spokesperson at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “The previous administration’s failure to implement meaningful safeguards has allowed vulnerable kids to fall into the hands of criminals.”
Homeland Security Investigations, a division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has spent recent months conducting welfare checks on unaccompanied migrant children. The findings released Thursday stem from that ongoing effort, the Times reported.
Investigators found some children living in conditions described as “neglect,” while others had been placed with sponsors who had criminal histories, including charges for assault, drug trafficking, prostitution, and attempted murder.
ICE identified the fathers as the “alleged sponsors” in what they called the “most disturbing cases,” revealing that some of the girls were pregnant.
Unaccompanied migrant children have long presented complex challenges for the U.S. immigration system, with risks and responsibilities at every stage of the process.
These minors often endure harrowing journeys to reach the U.S. border. Once in custody, they are intended to be placed with vetted sponsors who can care for them while they pursue legal immigration status, the Times report noted further.
Under the Biden administration, the number of sponsor placements surged, at times exceeding 18,000 per month, making it difficult for the government to thoroughly vet each sponsor under protocols originally established during the Trump administration.
In response, the Department of Health and Human Services relaxed some of those requirements. However, analysts say the changes led to more unsafe and potentially harmful placements.
Federal watchdogs have previously reported that the government lost contact with tens of thousands of children and failed to adequately monitor hundreds of thousands more.
The Trump administration pledged to locate missing children, but conducting effective welfare checks has remained a persistent challenge, said the Times.
Jarrod Sadulski, a child trafficking expert who has testified before Congress, said investigators made 100,000 welfare check attempts but were able to locate only about 5,000 children—a success rate of just 5%.
Among the cases reviewed, more than two dozen showed potential signs of human trafficking, said the outlet.
Sadulski also noted that the Department of Health and Human Services failed to respond to over 65,000 calls to its abuse hotline for unaccompanied alien children.
Meanwhile, border czar Tom Homan shared some tragic news when he spoke at the Republican National Lawyers Association’s annual policy conference last month.
He told the story of ICE agents who recently rescued a pregnant 14-year-old girl who had been trafficked.
“We just found one two days ago. A 14-year-old little girl. Living with two adult males. Who trafficked her,” he said.
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“We found her, she’s pregnant. From trafficking being forced into prostitution. 14 years old. We are taking care of her. Both physically and mentally,” Homan said.
