Joseph Cuffari, inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security, prepares to testify to the House Subcommittee on Law Enforcement on Wednesday on Capital Hill in Washington. Photo by Angeles Ponpa/Medill News Service
WASHINGTON, July 23 (UPI) — Thousands of unaccompanied migrant children went missing in the United States in recent years after they were released to their sponsors, the Department of Homeland Security inspector general told a congressional subcommittee Wednesday.
These children were among more than 448,000 unaccompanied migrant children transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services between 2021 and 2024, according to government figures.
Testifying before the House Subcommittee on Federal Law Enforcement, DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari said the government had not reliably tracked children after their release from custody, leaving them vulnerable to labor exploitation, human trafficking and other abuses.
“Our review found that DHS and ICE lacked the ability to monitor or reliably determine the location of unaccompanied children after transfer to HHS,” Cuffari said. “As a result, children have been released into situations where they are unaccounted for or placed at risk.”
According to his written testimony, some 300,000 of those unaccompanied migrant children failed to appear for their immigration court proceedings as of September. Nearly 58,000 of them were under 12.
Cuffari told lawmakers that Immigration Customs Enforcement and Department of Homeland Security lacked sufficient coordination with HHS, and said agencies released some children to sponsors with missing address information or no familial connection.
“In many cases, we found missing sponsor addresses, sponsors with no known relation to the child and some sponsors housing multiple children without adequate oversight,” he said.
Cuffari described a February 2025 enforcement initiative in which ICE reviewed approximately 50,000 sponsor addresses. Of those, only 12,347 children were located. Additionally,403 sponsors were arrested, many on charges related to immigration fraud or child endangerment.
Cuffari emphasized that the federal government lacks the personnel and resources to fix the problems with unaccompanied minor children, especially those who have been released to sponsors beyond the scope of federal monitoring.
Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa, condemned conditions in child detention facilities. “We are detaining, warehousing and denying children basic human rights, food, clean water, attorneys, and then wondering why they disappear.”
Republicans on the panel used the testimony to fault the Biden administration for what they described as a breakdown in accountability.
“In 2021, DHS under [Alejandro] Mayorkas removed ICE vetting and handed the reins to HHS,” said Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.
Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., asked whether criminal charges should be considered. “What would it take to investigate Secretary Mayorkas for child endangerment? Thirty thousand missing kids isn’t enough?”
Democrats redirected criticism toward policies enacted under the Trump administration, highlighting the long-term effects of the children sent to detention centers.
“These children are shackled,” said Rep. Lateefah Simon, D-Calif. “The physical and mental health and long-term trauma will exacerbate their pre-existing conditions to the trauma of their detention by our government.”