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Stopping Child Alien Trafficking ‘Beyond DHS Responsibility,’ Says Mayorkas

Biden officials pass the buck as tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors disappear into exploitation.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas admitted on Sunday that addressing the trafficking of unaccompanied alien children is “outside the responsibility” of his department, despite the staggering numbers of vulnerable minors disappearing after entering the United States.

In an appearance on Face the Nation, Mayorkas acknowledged reports of children being trafficked but deflected responsibility, stating, “Individuals do not comply with the reporting obligations, or otherwise, I think it is inaccurate to say that all of them are trafficked or victimized.”

Under the Biden administration’s policies, over half a million illegal immigrant children have entered the U.S. in recent years, with approximately 120,000 arriving annually. Many are never seen again:

  • A New York Times investigation found that one-third of children cannot be located within 30 days of being placed with sponsors.

  • A DHS Inspector General report from August revealed that 300,000 children have not received court papers due to DHS’s inability or refusal to track their locations.

  • ICE officers reported cases where children were placed in unsafe conditions but were unable to intervene, including one instance of a child allegedly in an inappropriate relationship with a sponsor’s spouse.

Mayorkas’s DHS transfers the children to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which places them with sponsors often fellow illegal immigrants without verifying sponsor safety or identity beyond screenshots of foreign IDs sent via WhatsApp.

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra has similarly washed his hands of responsibility, telling Congress last month, “Our responsibility is to provide care while they were in our custody.” HHS conducts only minimal follow-ups:

  • Sponsors are contacted up to three times by phone, but Becerra admitted they are not required to respond or put the child on the phone.

  • Reports show many children end up working in dangerous factories or, even more horrifyingly, being sold into the sex trade.

The Biden administration’s policies, including preferential treatment for “unaccompanied alien children,” have created incentives for families to send children on perilous journeys alone. Cartels in Guatemala and elsewhere exploit these loopholes, encouraging families to separate and pay for children’s illegal passage into the U.S.

Donald Trump’s former border czar, Tom Homan, has pledged to prioritize finding these missing children under a new administration. “The safety of these children must come first,” Homan said.

The administration’s refusal to take responsibility for the fates of these children is alarming and shameful. With Mayorkas claiming it is not DHS’s job and Becerra shrugging off accountability, the systemic failure is clear.

Children vanish into forced labor or worse, while bureaucrats pass the buck. This is not a policy failure it’s a humanitarian crisis of the highest order.

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