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A newly released investigation by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has uncovered deeply disturbing instances of abuse, neglect, and exploitation involving unaccompanied migrant children placed in the care of adult sponsors during President Joe Biden’s term. The findings, stemming from months of welfare checks and internal reviews, highlight significant failures in safeguarding the welfare of vulnerable minors arriving at the U.S. border.
According to the DHS report, many of these children were handed over to sponsors who were either inadequately vetted or had serious criminal backgrounds. These included individuals with prior convictions for assault, drug trafficking, forced labor, prostitution, and even child pornography. In some of the most horrifying cases, girls placed with such sponsors were later found to be pregnant—implicating the very adults meant to protect them.
A DHS spokesperson confirmed that the effort to expedite the release of children from overcrowded detention centers—intended to reduce public scrutiny over holding minors in poor conditions—ultimately put thousands at risk. “Children’s safety and security is non-negotiable,” said Laszlo Baksay, a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “Unfortunately, critical safeguards were either ignored or relaxed under pressure.”
The number of unaccompanied children entering the U.S. surged dramatically under the Biden administration, at times surpassing 18,000 per month. This overwhelmed the federal system, which struggled to maintain thorough background checks and follow-up welfare visits. As a result, many children were released to questionable sponsors with little or no post-placement monitoring.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees the placement process, reportedly failed to respond to over 65,000 calls made to its abuse hotline concerning unaccompanied minors. This lack of oversight has raised alarms among child advocacy organizations and lawmakers alike.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a division of ICE, has conducted approximately 100,000 welfare checks as part of a renewed effort to assess the conditions of children already released. Shockingly, agents were only able to physically locate about 5,000 children, amounting to a 5% success rate. Of the cases they did review, more than two dozen showed potential indicators of human trafficking.
Jarrod Sadulski, a security and child trafficking expert who has testified before Congress, said the government’s failure to properly screen and monitor sponsors created an environment ripe for abuse. “We’re talking about children who made it to the U.S. border alone, only to be placed with predators or neglectful guardians,” he stated.
Former acting ICE Director Tom Homan also spoke about the crisis, recounting a recent case in which ICE agents rescued a 14-year-old girl who had been trafficked and was pregnant. “We just found her living with two adult males. She had been forced into prostitution. This isn’t rare—this is happening every day,” Homan said during a policy conference.
The Biden administration now faces renewed scrutiny over its handling of migrant child placements. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are demanding urgent reforms, including stricter background checks, more frequent welfare visits, and better inter-agency communication.
As the political debate continues, advocates stress that the focus must remain on protecting the most vulnerable—children who crossed borders seeking safety but instead found new dangers within the U.S. system meant to protect them.
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