In a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Rep. Monica De La Cruz joined other Members of Congress to express concern about the number of unaccompanied minors entering the United States and the conditions in which they find themselves after contact with federal officials.
In the letter, led by Reps. Juan Ciscomani, the Members write, “Many of these children are ending up in sickening situations in which they are forced to work in hazardous conditions and in violation of child labor laws.”
“… [It] has been reported that caseworkers feel rushed to move children out of government custody quickly and are not fully vetting the people to whom the children are released,” the letter continues. “Thus, putting these minors in dangerous environments.”
In Fiscal Year 2022, Customs and Border Patrol (CPB) reports over over 152,000 unaccompanied minors entered the United States. A recent New York Times report states that HHS is unable to contact over 85,000 migrant children who have entered the country.
“The is unacceptable,” the letter states. “We must treat these vulnerable children with extra care and consideration and should be enforcing policies that discourage this type of behavior.”
Original source can be found here.
