At a rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, former President Donald Trump laid heavy criticism on Vice President Kamala Harris, accusing her of being responsible for the plight of thousands of migrant children who entered the U.S. illegally. Trump’s remarks come amid growing controversy over the handling of unaccompanied minors at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Allegations of Missing and Exploited Children
Trump claimed that the Biden administration, particularly Harris, is to blame for the disappearance and exploitation of these children. “Think of the number—325,000 children are missing. Many are dead. Many are involved in sex operations. Many are working as slaves in different parts of probably this country,” Trump declared at the rally. He alleged that these children have either gone missing, died, or are being exploited, attributing the crisis to the policies enacted under President Joe Biden and Harris.
Trump criticized Harris’s role, stating, “She was the border czar. Now she says, ‘I wasn’t the border czar,’ but she was. It was headlines—‘border czar,’ ‘border czar’—but now she doesn’t want that term. But whether she was border czar or not, she was in charge of the border. 325,000 children are missing.”
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Department of Homeland Security’s Findings
The controversy surrounding unaccompanied migrant children escalated when the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general reported that approximately 323,000 migrant children under the age of 18 have either failed to appear for immigration court hearings or were released from custody with no subsequent contact for further proceedings. This report has fueled criticism over the handling of these minors by the current administration.
Policy Shifts and Their Impact
The issue began gaining prominence shortly after President Biden took office when his administration altered the approach to unaccompanied minors. Under the previous Trump administration, a COVID-19-era health policy led to the rapid expulsion of many such children. Biden’s administration opted to allow these minors to remain in the U.S., which was described by aides as a more humane approach. However, critics argued that this policy change inadvertently encouraged more minors to cross the border, many of whom were in their late teens.
Investigative Reports on Exploitation
Subsequent investigative reports revealed troubling conditions for many of these children. Some were placed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with individuals who exploited them as laborers rather than ensuring they received proper education. Reports highlighted cases where minors were forced to work overnight shifts in dangerous environments, such as slaughterhouses, and were subjected to harsh conditions.
