Eric Adams worries about the disappearance of 500,000 migrant children

By Ryan FoleyChristian Post journalist Friday December 13, 2024

New York City mayor calls attention to hundreds of thousands of missing migrant children trafficked to the United States amid rising illegal immigration under the Biden administration.

During a press conference On Thursday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, “We have 500,000 children who have had sponsors in this country that we can’t find. »

“We don’t know if they are using child labor. We don’t know if they are committing sex crimes,” he added. “We don’t know if they are being exploited.”

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New York Mayor Eric Adams speaks out on the illegal immigration crisis:

“We have 500,000 children who have sponsors in this country who we cannot find.”pic.twitter.com/2YDQnoxBxz

– The American Conservative (@amconmag) December 12, 2024

Adams’ remarks followed a meeting with Tom Homan, whom President-elect Donald Trump has designated as the border czar in his next administration. The statistics and concerns shared by Adams reference the findings of a report compiled by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, concluding that “ICE cannot monitor all unaccompanied migrant children released from DHS and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.” »

The report, released in August, states that “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was unable to monitor the location and status of all unaccompanied migrant children (UC) or initiate removal procedures.” removal if necessary. Data compiled in the report reveals that DHS transferred custody of 448,000 unaccompanied illegal immigrant children to the custody of HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement Services (ORR) between 2019 and 2023.

ORR, which is responsible for caring for illegal immigrant children awaiting immigration court proceedings, places children in the custody of shelters or qualified sponsors. Even after minors are released to HHS, ICE retains responsibility for managing their immigration court proceedings.

While 32,000 unaccompanied illegal immigrant children failed to show up for their immigration court hearing to determine whether they had a valid claim to remain in the country, the report estimates that the number of unaccompanied children missing could be even higher, since more than 291,000 minors have not received notices to appear informing them of their court dates.

“Based on our audit work and according to ICE officials, CUs who fail to appear in court are considered to be at higher risk of trafficking, exploitation or forced labor,” notes the report. “By not issuing NTAs to all UCs, ICE limits its chances of having contact with UCs when they are released from HHS custody, reducing opportunities to verify their safety. Without the ability to monitor the location and status of CUs, ICE has no guarantee that CUs are safe from trafficking, exploitation, or forced labor.

The report attributes the large number of illegal immigrant children missing in the United States to a lack of communication between ICE and HHS as well as ICE’s limited authority to intervene in cases where they find children. unaccompanied illegal immigrant children in unsafe conditions.

A hearing last month by the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement raised questions about the federal government’s process to verify sponsors. A Florida grand jury report that found the Biden administration facilitated “the forced migration, sale and abuse of alien children” was also presented during the hearing.

The Florida grand jury detailed how sponsors who allegedly offered to look after children used strip clubs as their addresses and how the aunt of an unaccompanied minor “pimped” her relative. The grand jury report’s findings add to whistleblower reports alleging the Biden administration failed to vet sponsors of unaccompanied illegal immigrant children.

Concerns about the safety of unaccompanied illegal immigrant children come amid a surge in illegal immigration to the U.S. southwest border. Data compiled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection show that since the start of fiscal year 2022, which marked the Biden administration’s first full year in office, there have been more than 7 million encounters between migrants and law enforcement officers at the border.

The meeting between Adams, a Democrat, and Homan comes as the Big Apple continued to embrace its status as a sanctuary city that does not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement as recently as last week.