In recent news, the staggering number of unaccompanied migrant children found in dire conditions has yet again cast a glaring spotlight on the Biden administration’s border policies. This time, conservatives are up in arms about a revelation by Tom Holman, a former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, who reported that 145,000 migrant children have been rescued from a state of neglect attributed to the current administration’s so-called open-border policies. The Department of Homeland Security itself has admitted a larger and more worrisome figure, revealing that more than 450,000 children have gone unaccounted for due to these same policies.
The supposed negligence comes in stark contrast to the border security measures during Donald Trump’s presidency. Back then, initiatives were put in place to curb child trafficking and manage the enormous outflow of migrants. A noteworthy component of the Trump administration’s strategy was to ensure that those claiming to sponsor migrant children were actually who they said they were, a practice that somehow seemed to fall out of favor under the new administration. It’s a head-scratcher that these common-sense practices weren’t universally embraced.
Tara Rhodess, an HHS whistleblower and former DHS worker, gained attention when she exposed attempts by MS-13 members to sponsor unaccompanied children. Her actions prevented these vulnerable kids from falling into the clutches of gang members. In her conversation with conservative media, she highlighted that back then, the new leadership at the Office of Refugee Resettlement, along with cooperation from FBI and DHS, was pivotal in orchestrating a campaign to reunite these children safely with real family members. However, the current administration seemed to have thwarted these efforts in what critics call a gross oversight, bordering, some say, on evil.
Rhodess also pointed out the laughable hypocrisy of left-wing activists suddenly worrying about conditions inside detention centers and the fate of these young migrants. It’s a bit rich, considering when similar concerns were raised during the early stages of Biden’s term, the responses from his supporters were less than sympathetic. Instead of taking action, some chose to point fingers or snub whistleblowers who dared to call out the grim realities openly.
While there is a glimmer of hope with the rescue of 145,000 children, the task is far from complete, with an additional 200,000 children still unaccounted for. The commitment shown by certain officials and their dogged determination to do right by these children should not go unnoticed. But one can’t help but ponder why this disarray was allowed to sprout in the first place. It’s as if securing the welfare of innocent children is a complex riddle that only gets solved when the political costs become insurmountable. One can only hope that the newfound focus on finding and caring for these vulnerable children is not just a passing political phase.
