32,000 migrant children go missing

LOS ANGELES (EFE).— U.S. authorities have been unable to track more than 32,000 migrant minors who entered the United States alone between 2019 and 2023 and were placed in the custody of a relative or sponsor.

The way Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents track unaccompanied children is an “urgent problem,” according to a report by the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The investigation, which was sent to Congress yesterday, found that from 2019 to 2023, more than 32,000 unaccompanied migrant children did not appear for their immigration court hearings and immigration authorities “were unable to account for” their location.

In the period studied, which spans both the Trump and Joe Biden administrations, immigration officials have taken custody of 448,000 children who entered the country.

Researchers are concerned that children who do not appear in immigration court “are considered at greater risk for trafficking, exploitation or forced labor.”

The presentation of minors to immigration court is “often the only opportunity ICE has to observe and assess migrant children” if they are victims of trafficking or other safety concerns, the report said.

ICE did not issue a Notice to Appear in Immigration Court (NTA) to the more than 291,000 minors who were not placed in removal proceedings.

By not doing so for all migrant children, ICE limits its ability to have contact with them when they are released from Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) custody, reducing opportunities to check on their safety.

“Without the ability to monitor the location and status of unaccompanied children, ICE has no guarantee that they are safe from trafficking, exploitation, or forced labor,” the report concludes.

Researchers recommended that ICE implement an automated system to document court appearances and maintain address information for migrant children, among other suggestions.

ICE responded that it is taking steps to identify minors who did not appear for immigration hearings and notify HHS. The results of the report were used yesterday by former President Trump, who accused the Biden administration of losing track —according to a campaign statement— of “more than 300,000 immigrant children.”