Attorneys general from 22 states claimed that reports they have reviewed indicate that federal authorities lost track of more than 85,000 children at the border in the last two years. They sent a letter to the Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of health and human services and the director of the FBI.
The signatories are the attorneys general of Iowa, Mississippi, Utah, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
In the letter, they explained that many of these children have been forced to enter the labor market, where they work exhausting days in dangerous conditions, or have become victims of sex trafficking.
"Senator Chuck Grassley recognized this problem and asked the Department of Homeland Security for a plan more than three months ago, but no plan has been forthcoming. That is unacceptable," the letter explained.
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'Parents send their children alone to the United States for a better life'
Likewise, the attorney generals detailed that they reviewed a report from the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services detailing the border crisis and the problems that authorities had in identifying minors at the border. They also insisted that there must be a plan to address the problem and protect these vulnerable children.
"That report explained that for more than one-in-five children required sponsor safety checks were not timely performed. In more than one-third of the cases, IDs submitted by sponsors raised concerns," the letter highlighted.
The letter also stated that "parents send their children alone to the United States for a better life. Some come to escape war, others to escape gangs or violence. By law, the Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for keeping these children safe when they arrive. That responsibility includes reuniting children with family or placing them with a sponsor who will protect them from trafficking and exploitation."
Finally, prosecutors included six questions that they expect Secretary Mayorkas to answer by May 1, 2024. Among them, the following stand out: Where were the 85,000 missing children last seen? What efforts are being taken to locate them? What percentage of migrant children are ending up with their parents once they enter this country?
