Smugglers abandon two migrant girls at southern border with note to authorities
Unaccompanied migrant children continue to be a major concern at the southern border, as two young girls were abandoned by smugglers in Texas this week. The Texas Department of Public Safety rescued the five and nine-year-old girls, who had only a note with an address and phone number from El Salvador. The smuggler fled back to Mexico, leaving the girls behind.
This incident highlights the ongoing issue of unaccompanied minors crossing the border, with numbers escalating during the recent migrant crisis. Many abandoned children are rescued with contact information for relatives or sponsors, who eventually take custody of them in the U.S. The Department of Health and Human Services plays a crucial role in placing these children with appropriate sponsors.
Earlier this year, a report from the DHS Office of Inspector General revealed that over 32,000 unaccompanied migrant children failed to appear for immigration court hearings in the past five years. Immigration and Customs Enforcement struggled to track down those who did not show up, raising concerns about the whereabouts of these children.
ICE transferred over 448,000 unaccompanied migrant children to HHS from fiscal years 2019 to 2023, but was unable to monitor all of them effectively. Approximately 291,000 children have not been marked for removal proceedings due to failures in scheduling court dates and serving notices. Despite the surge of over 500,000 unaccompanied migrant children during the Biden administration, only 411 were removed in FY 2024, a slight increase from the previous year.
The challenges of handling unaccompanied minors at the border persist, highlighting the need for improved tracking and enforcement measures. The safety and well-being of these vulnerable children must be a top priority for authorities on both sides of the border.
