(The Center Square) – More than 230,000 unaccompanied minors were released from immigration custody into the U.S. during the Biden administration and subsequently became unaccounted for, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari testified in front of the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday. He said 31,000 children were sent to invalid home addresses in the U.S. and that sponsors were not properly vetted before the unaccompanied children were released to them.
The Oversight panel was called to review the findings of a March 2025 report by DHS that found that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is unable to track the status of all unaccompanied minors currently in the U.S. The report’s findings “reveal significant gaps” in ICE’s management of these children, Cuffari testified.
“This is not simply an administrative problem,” Cuffari said. “It’s a systemic breakdown that poses grave risks to unaccompanied alien children (UACs) and the integrity of our legal immigration system.”
DHS’s report found that more than 43,000 of these children failed to appear for court hearings and can no longer be tracked by ICE. The report said these children are “considered at higher risk for trafficking, exploitation or forced labor.”
“The findings are a double-edged sword,” Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., said during the hearing. “While some vulnerable children have likely been trafficked, exploited and subject to forced labor, the report also found other older teens that were convicted criminals and gang members.”
Cuffari testified that a team of special agents was set up by ICE in February to locate and carry out welfare and health checks on unaccompanied minors who have been lost by DHS and the Department of Health and Human Services. With assistance from the FBI and U.S. Marshals, the unit has visited 50,000 homes so far to locate 200,000 children, Cuffari said.
Democrats on the panel pushed back against the Trump administration’s “reckless” immigration initiatives and argued that DHS has increasingly targeted children in its deportation efforts.
“Are these little kids the dangerous criminals Trump vowed to go after?” Subcommittee Ranking Member Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., said.
The panel’s meeting is the first in a series of hearings that will examine past shortcomings of DHS, determine how the U.S. immigration system can be reformed to locate and better monitor unaccompanied minors and establish how DHS and HHS can work together effectively on this issue.
• Caroline Boda is an intern reporter and member of the 2025 Searle Freedom Trust and Young America's Foundation National Journalism Center Apprentice and Internship initiative.
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