DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Says Child Trafficking Across Southern Border is Not His Responsibility

MAYORKAS: "We certainly have received reports of children being trafficked, even those as to whom we know where they are. That is outside the responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security."

WTF?!?!?! pic.twitter.com/CnsNfnr7Gc

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In an interview with Margaret Brennan of Face The Nation, Mayorkas was asked about the 32,000 unaccompanied children who have entered the United States between 2019 and 2023. According to Donald Trump’s incoming border czar Tom Homan, these children are being exploited and trafficked for criminal entreprises.

Margaret, we certainly have received reports of children being trafficked, even those as to whom we know where they are. That is outside the responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security.

What we do is we turn children over within 72 hours, as the law requires, to the Department of Health and Human Services, and then HHS places those children.

Of course, we investigate cases of trafficking, but there are children who are reunited with a parent here in the United States or a legal guardian, and they move and sometimes the government loses track.

Individuals do not comply with the reporting obligations or otherwise, I think it is inaccurate to say that all of them are trafficked or victimized. There are a number of reasons why we might lose track of an individual that is not necessarily specific to this administration.      

That has been a long standing challenge in the immigration system, one example of why that system is so broken, why the duration of time in proceedings is unacceptably long and has to be remedied. Remember, we’re dealing with a system that was last reformed in 1996.

GRTWT.