NASHVILLE, Tenn. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Patrick Lechleitner demanding answers as to why ICE lost track of at least 32,000 unaccompanied migrant children (UCs) and may have lost track of up to 323,000 UCs, according to a new report released by the DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG).

Although the OIG report confirms that ICE lost track of at least 32,000 UCs who failed to appear for their immigration court hearings, the agency may have lost track of an additional 291,000 UCs who were not placed in removal proceedings and were never given a court date. Thus, because ICE has no formal policy in place to follow up with UCs who did not appear in court, the total number of children the Department has lost track of is likely significantly higher.

New Report Reveals ICE Lost Track of at Least 32,000 Unaccompanied Migrant Children – Leaving Them Vulnerable to Human Trafficking and Exploitation

“On your department’s watch, tens of thousands of migrant children are now missing—leaving them highly vulnerable to human trafficking and exploitation. This, unfortunately, is just the latest failure of the Biden-Harris border crisis that continues to unfold… According to this devastating report, over the last five years, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lost track of more than 32,000 UCs.”

ICE May Have Lost an Additional 291,000 Children

“Just as disturbing, it appears that the number of missing migrant children could very well be far greater than 32,000. Over the course of five years, ICE transferred more than 448,000 UCs to the custody of HHS, with more than 32,000 of those children failing to appear for their immigration court dates. As the report notes, the number of missing children may be much higher, as ICE failed to issue Notices to Appear (NTAs) to more than 291,000 UCs who were not placed in removal proceedings. In other words, because these hundreds of thousands of children were not served NTAs, they did not have a court date, and ‘ICE has not developed a formal policy or process to follow up on UCs who did not appear in court.’”

ICE Failed in its Most Basic Duty to Keep Children Safe

“It is ICE’s duty to safely transfer UCs to HHS after they are initially taken into custody by border agents—as well as to manage and monitor their immigration cases. Yet, it is plain to me that you have failed in your most basic duty to keep these children safe from harm, as the OIG report found that ICE has failed to track the whereabouts of thousands of children who have been released or transferred from ICE’s custody.”

Biden Admin Has Devastating Track Record of Failing to Protect Unaccompanied Migrant Children – HHS Previously Lost Track of at Least 85,000 UCs

“This tragedy is not surprising given the Biden-Harris administration’s past failures with respect to the well-being and safety of migrant children. As you know, the Biden HHS lost track of at least 85,000 migrant children who they are charged with protecting, and the whereabouts of those children are still unknown. I have inquired for more information from Secretary Becerra—to no avail—about that unconscionable failure. The American people, and the families of these hundreds of thousands of children, deserve answers about your reckless disregard for the well-being of the children in your care and what your department is doing to address these failures.”  

It is ICE’s responsibility to safely transfer UCs to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) after they are initially taken into custody by border agents. According to a recent report released by the DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG), ICE lost track of more than 32,000 UCs who failed to appear for their immigration court hearings from Fiscal Year 2019 to 2023. 

Even worse, the number of missing children may actually be much higher, as ICE failed to issue Notices to Appear (NTAs) to more than 291,000 UCs who were not placed in removal proceedings – meaning they did not have a court date. Therefore, ICE may have lost as many as 323,000 UCs who either failed to appear for their immigration court hearings or were never given a court date. The report states that ICE “has not developed a formal policy or process to follow up on UCs who did not appear in court.”

Last year, bombshell reporting also revealed HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra ignored the concerns of HHS staffers and outside contractors about the potential exploitation of 85,000 children who went missing under his department’s watch. Secretary Becerra has refused to provide more information about this devastating failure, despite Senator Blackburn’s repeated requests.

• READ: Blackburn Puts HHS On Blast: ‘Nothing Compassionate About Turning A Blind Eye To The Victimization Of Children’
• WATCH: Senator Blackburn Presses Becerra Over Losing Migrant Children Coming Into The U.S.

• READ: Blackburn Slams HHS Over Missing Migrant Children Response, Demands Honesty

Click here to view the full letter.