Shocking revelations of child trafficking and exploitation in America have emerged, and they are horrifying. According to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a staggering number of minors have crossed the border unaccompanied since 2021. A New York Times report reveals that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has lost contact with thousands of those children; and Senator Josh Hawleyis demanding immediate accountability.
Senator Josh Hawley has called for an FBI investigation into the exploitation of thousands of unaccompanied alien children caught up in child smuggling and child labor operations. Since early 2021, around 345,000 minors have crossed the border unaccompanied, with 85,000 of them currently unaccounted for. The Biden administration has been accused of loosening border protection policies, leading to minors being handed over to modern-day slave traders and forced into factory work under punishing conditions, denied food and education, and subjected to sexual violence. These disturbing allegations have prompted Senator Hawley to demand action from the FBI.
In response to this crisis, Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has demanded that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigate this issue, citing the Biden administration’s loosening of border protection policies as the root cause. The senator from Missouri has placed the blame firmly on the president, stating that the Biden administration is morally responsible for the fate of these lost children.
Here is the HHS secretary claiming to have never heard of the scandalous news of the missing children.
According to Hawley, the Biden administration lifted Title 42 restrictions on unaccompanied children in early 2021, which resulted in thousands of children being handed over to modern-day slave traders. HHS is also reported to have loosened vetting processes for sponsors, which has made it easier for children to fall into the hands of traffickers.
These lost minors are forced into factory work under punishing conditions, denied food and education, fear for their lives, and suffer sexual violence. The senator’s letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray highlights the urgency of the situation and calls for immediate action to be taken.
The gravity of the situation has been further emphasized by the recent testimony of a whistleblower, Tara Lee Rodas, who appeared before Congress to expose the federal government’s role as a “middleman” for a “multi-billion-dollar child trafficking operation.” Rodas’s testimony, which was given at “The Biden Border Crisis: Exploitation of Unaccompanied Alien Children” hearing held by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, revealed shocking details about the scale of the problem.
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) has also demanded answers from HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra regarding the whistleblower’s claims. Blackburn’s letter to Becerra has called for greater transparency and accountability in the handling of the situation, as well as a more robust and effective border protection policy.
The exploitation of vulnerable children is a tragedy that cannot be ignored. If indeed the Biden administration is complicit in this scandal they must be held accountable to the greatest extent. Child exploitation should never be correlated with the United States America. Simply the news that 85,000 children have gone missing under our watch is an embarrassment to our nation. We grateful whistleblowers have stepped up to expose this horrific crime and the more of them speak out the closer we are to taking down the middlemen in our midst.
Let’s continue this conversation, in the comments below.
