DHS reveals abuse of unaccompanied minors and being uncensored sponsors

The Department of Homeland Security is pulling curtains for widespread abuse and exploitation of unaccompanied minors who crossed the U.S. border during the last administration and placed with uncensored sponsors.

The Department of Homeland Security launched a national child welfare program in February to identify and locate high-risk children who may be placed on inappropriate or uncensored sponsors, some of whom were reimbursed by smugglers – who came to the United States.

“Child safety and safeguards are not negotiable,” ICE spokesman Laszlo Baksay said in a statement. “The last government failed to implement meaningful safeguards that allow vulnerable children to fall into the hands of criminals. Our special agents are working tirelessly to find these out-of-town children, ensure their protection, and hold those who abuse the system accountable.”

The Department of Homeland Security added that since the agency launched the Child Welfare Initiative, officials have discovered sponsors with child sexual abuse materials (CSAM), sponsors who force minors to work and sponsors who make children neglect their living conditions.

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Additionally, officials have tracked records of sponsors’ previous convictions for serious crimes ranging from crashes and murders to prostitution and drug trafficking.

In some of the “most disturbing cases,” sponsors mistakenly claimed to be a family member of the unaccompanied underage girl, according to Chris Clem, former U.S. Border Patrol leader in Yuma Yuma, Arizona. Clem provides unaccompanied minors with suggestions for solutions for unaccompanied minors during the first 100 days of the presidency.

“Whatever ideology is there, the explanation for these kids is crucial.”

– Chris Clem

“While this started on Inauguration Day, the information is poor at best due to the backlog of cases,” Clem said of the Child Welfare Plan. “It took more time. So we put a lot of things in place… where everything is lined up. … Protecting children should be zero controversial. No matter what ideology is there, the explanation for these children is crucial.”

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Immigration is processed in the water inlet area of ​​U.S. Customs and Border Protection Facilities, the main detention center for unaccompanied children in the Rio Grande Valley in Donna, Texas on Tuesday, March 30, 2021. (AP)

Clem added that as a former Border Patrol and Chief, he knew that the unaccompanied minors in the last administration were “not resolved” when millions of illegal immigrants entered the country from the southern border.

The United States Federation of Immigration Reform (FAIR) believes that overall immigration levels are low, and it is estimated that as of March 2025, about 18.6 million illegal immigrants live in the United States since December 2020, representing about 28.2% or 4.1 million people.

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The U.S. Border Patrol Vehicle has taken away a group of vulnerable immigrants, including unaccompanied minors who crossed from Mexico in El Paso, Texas in May 2023. (John Moore/Getty Image)

This week, new Border Patrol Data shows that zero immigration was released to the United States in May, indicating Overwhelming turnaround Since the same period last year, 62,000 people have been released under the Biden administration.

“We know from a law enforcement perspective that our job is to do direct security checks and then we have to deal with the children and detain them in the refugee office [Resettlement]. Now, from there, we don't have specific details, but we know… it's the government. …We know there [were] It could be the problem – reviewing and being able to ask questions to the kids is never something we are really allowed to do. ”

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“The American public is absolutely necessary for the best interests of our government for serving children,” Clem said.

“That's why it's important to me because it's protecting children and it's doing what most Americans want us to do as governments – at least, it's at least taking care of those kids,” the former Border Patrol chief said.

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A U.S. Border Patrol agent checked the identification of immigrants after crossing the border from Mexico in Yuma, Arizona on December 30, 2022. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)

ICE's Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) special agents have been conducting welfare checks on immigrant children who are not accompanying the border. DHS said welfare checks are designed to assess children’s conditions and ensure they receive proper care without being abused or trafficked.

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A group of 116 illegal immigrants, including 11 unaccompanied children, were arrested in Eagle Pass, Texas on Wednesday morning. (Texas DPS)

“Our agents have been doing what they should do: protect children, not push them into the shadows,” Barksey said. “It's the responsibility of any administration, Republican or Democrat, but the Trump administration insists on strict sponsor screening and biometric verification. These guardrails have been removed and we're seeing the consequences now.”

If ICE HSI officials encounter adults living in the United States illegally, they will detain and deal with them for relocation, while unaccompanied children living in the United States will be illegally transferred to refugee residents' offices, DHS said.

Taylor Penley of Fox News Digital contributed to the report.