On Tuesday, Republicans seized on a watchdog report accusing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of inconsistent communication in immigration cases involving unaccompanied children.
The report from the DHS Office of the Inspector General stressed that without better communication between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the two agencies responsible for these children, the United States is “reducing the ability to verify their safety.”
Republicans, who see immigration as a winning issue in November, said the results showed mismanagement of the border by the Biden administration.
The report highlights the complicated process that goes into ensuring the welfare of children who arrive alone at the border. After initial processing by ICE, they are placed in the custody of HHS.
However, in evaluating ICE’s role, the watchdog found that the agency had failed to always notify HHS when migrant children failed to appear for their immigration court hearings. Of the nearly 450,000 children in HHS custody over the past five years, about 32,000 failed to appear for their court dates.
Unaccompanied children “who do not appear in court are considered to be at greater risk of becoming victims of human trafficking, exploitation or forced labour,” the report says.
The report ends with a recommendation that the two agencies improve their communication and coordination. While it mentions that ICE’s internal policy requires the agency to send an email to HHS when a child fails to appear for his or her court date, it also remains unclear to what extent ICE is legally required to do so.
“ICE did not always inform HHS when UCs did not appear for immigration hearings. According to an ICE official, ICE is not required to share this information with HHS,” the report said.
In a hastily convened press conference on Tuesday evening, Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (Louisiana), as well as Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee Mark Green (R-Tennessee) and Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), criticized Vice President Harris for her handling of the immigration issue and the situation at the southern border.
“The southern border is a national security disaster and a humanitarian disaster, and Kamala Harris cannot be trusted to fix it,” Johnson said. “All of this happened on her watch.”
The inspector general’s report – and the Republican press conference – came as Democrats met in Chicago for their party convention, which also addressed the issues of immigration and the situation at the southern border.
In his speech Monday evening, President Biden said the number of border crossings had fallen by more than 50 percent and claimed: “There are fewer border crossings today than when Donald Trump left office.”
“And unlike Trump, we will not demonize immigrants and say they ‘poison the blood of America’ or ‘poison the blood of our country.’ Kamala and I are committed to strengthening legal immigration, including protecting Dreamers and others,” Biden said.
Meanwhile, Rep. Tom Suozzi (DN.Y.) is scheduled to speak about immigration on Wednesday, according to Axios.
When asked by The Hill about the Democrats’ message on immigration at the party convention, Johnson was critical.
“Their speeches are full of fantasy, not facts,” he said. “This is the biggest gaslighting operation in the history of American politics.”
When Congress reconvenes in September, immigration and the situation at the southern border will surely be key issues, as lawmakers expect to approve federal funds at the end of the month.
The conservative House Freedom Caucus demanded earlier this month that any stopgap measure to meet the funding deadline must include the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would ban noncitizens from voting in federal elections – a situation that rarely occurs. The House passed the bill in July, but it is currently stalled in the Senate.
When asked if he was willing to withhold federal funding for the SAVE Act, Johnson replied Tuesday: “We are looking for every means possible to advance the SAVE Act and get it through the Senate.”
“The deadline for funding has passed and we are actively discussing the different options on that and as you know … as I’m involved with everything, I have to get a consensus to make the final decision,” he added. “But that’s all in progress, but I can tell you, I mean, I can confirm for you that the SAVE Act is a big part of that discussion.”
“And it’s not just the Freedom Caucus, it’s members across the conference who share the same concerns we do on this. We believe that the integrity of this election cycle is perhaps one of the most pressing issues and the greatest threat to the country. Everyone is concerned about this and we are looking at every means possible to move the issue forward,” he added.
