The primary focus of the Nov 19 Hearing on Border Security and Enforcement was the staggering number of Unaccompanied Alien Children (UACs) who have illegally entered and vanished during the Biden administration. J.J. Carrell’s testimony revealed that approximately 550,000 UACs illegally entered with “[t]he vast majority” falling victim to slave labor and sex trafficking. Over 320,000 of them have gone missing since 2021, according to the Inspector General’s Aug. 19 report for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The human cost is devastating, particularly when it comes to vulnerable children. These children range in age “from newborn infants to 17-year-olds.”
“30 million illegal aliens will have entered America unlawfully” since Biden took office, according to Carrell, one of four witnesses in the Nov 19 Hearing on Border Security and Enforcement. “America has suffered the greatest demographic shift in modern history. All told, “approximately 11 million to 12 million illegal aliens will have been arrested and released into America,” Carrell stated. “The fundamental transformation of America has begun,” said Carrell.
Trump Administration Lost Fewer Children
With regard to the handling of alien children, Carrell compared the handling of UACs during the Trump administration with the approach under the Biden-Harris administration. For example, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) arrested 30,557 UACs during Trump’s last year in office. By contrast, Biden’s first year saw 147,975 UACs arrested, “most of which are unaccounted for and lost,” Carrell stated.
Not only were the numbers much smaller during Trump’s presidency but his administration was able to account for and track UACs more effectively. Alicia Hopper, a consultant specializing in human trafficking, provided House Committee members with concerning figures. According to Hopper, During the Biden administration, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) “processed and sent 329,457 unaccompanied children to sponsors.” In contrast, during Trump’s presidency, “only 124,627 children were sent to sponsors,” marking “a 164% increase” in the number of children sent under Biden.
NGOs Partially Responsible for the Victimization of Children
Carrell blamed the federal government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for operating “the world’s largest child sex trafficking organization in modern history.” He pointed out that cartels exploit loopholes in U.S. immigration programs, and that the Biden administration’s removal of DNA testing for sponsors—those who ultimately take custody of these children—further exacerbates the issue. Carrell described the pipeline of exploitation and abuse that Unaccompanied Alien Children (UACs) face as follows:
“The Biden-Harris government knows that transnational criminal organizations from across the globe have discovered and are exploiting loopholes in the child sponsorship program. Human smuggling cartels specializing in children are smuggling the children over the border.”
“They then wait for the Border Patrol to arrest these children,” Carrell continued. “Because of the Flores Settlement Agreement, the Border Patrol’s internal procedures are to release these children to NGOs within 72 hours. The NGOs then have a total of 20 days from the date of arrest to release the children. These NGOs then coordinate with HHS and ORR to reunite these children as quickly as possible with the same cartels that reside within the United States. There are no background checks or DNA tests on the sponsors who receive these children. There are no site visits to ensure the child’s safety or to confirm the child has been taken to a home that actually exists”.
Information-Sharing by Government is Lacking, Children Victimized
One of the reasons our system has failed these children is the lack of information sharing among NGOs. Even more troubling is the fact that “HHS does not directly share the Unaccompanied Children (UC) Portal database with law enforcement,” said Tara Lee Rodas, former Deputy to the Director of the Federal Case Management Team. Rodas explained,
“Currently, HHS denies direct access to the UC Portal data to law enforcement and others who would use it to identify trafficking activity, rescue exploited children and conduct critical oversight of the UC placement program.”
Rodas also commented on the abuse these children suffer in part because governmental incompetence. Rodas shared her experience with the “unthinkable” treatment of UACs,
“Migrant children are working overnight shifts in slaughterhouses and factories. And some may die today because they don’t have the knowledge or skills they need to do the job. But they’re doing it to repay debts to their smugglers and traffickers.”
“HHS has a ten-year record of losing children to sponsors who abuse, exploit, traffic and harm them in unthinkable ways.”
Sadly, the victimization continues in shelters run by NGOs, which are often the source of the abuse. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is currently leading an investigation of shelters for the sexual abuse of minors. He is specifically looking into HHS contractors, including Southwest Key Programs, Inc.
The DOJ filed a lawsuit in July against Southwest Key Programs Inc, a chain of 29 UAC “shelters provid[ing] temporary housing for unaccompanied minors in Texas, Arizona, and California. This makes it the largest housing provider for UACs in the U.S.
Treatment of Children “A Moral Outrage”
Representative Clay Higgins (R-LA), called what is happening to children is “a moral outrage,” noting that it occurs while the Biden-Harris administration “has touted that they have the most ‘humanitarian’ border policies in history.” He asked the following question,– “America should ask [itself] ‘why are so many children arriving at the border alone and afraid and sometimes in the hands of unconfirmed ‘relatives’ with no apparent familial indicators?’”
Higgins is correct. Many illegal aliens including UACs discard their IDs at the border, disappearing into U.S. communities under new identities, often printed by the cartels in the backs of their trucks. It is common to find piles of discarded IDs scattered along the trails known to be used by cartels and traffickers. In some cases, illegal aliens leave their IDs behind because traffickers tell them it’s easier to enter the U.S. without one. Without an identifiable record, these children effectively vanish, making them even more vulnerable to victimization and abuse.
FreedomForever.us partners with a number of organizations such as Protect Young Eyes, Covenant Eyes, VidAngel, Troomi, The Mama Bear Effect, and others to help protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation.
Freedom Forever is an all-volunteer organization that focuses its energy and time on preserving the innocence and safety of children. Freedom Forever is now also offering crisis support for survivors and families. Please call the Crisis Resource Line at 615.307.0152 or email our resource specialist at Starr@FreedomForever.us.
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