The chaos on America's southern border has had unintended consequence - a human catastrophe hurting tens of thousands of unaccompanied, defenseless children.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement, a part of the Administration for Children and Families, provides social services for unaccompanied children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Unaccompanied children are defined as those under 18 who have no lawful immigration status in the U.S. and who do not have a parent or legal guardian that can provide custody.
According to the agency's Unaccompanied Children Program website, the office oversees making placement decisions for these minors, releasing them to "Qualified sponsors and family members," and providing the children with legal representation and advice, among many other responsibilities.
Three other organizations have split another $1.3 billion in funding: Comprehensive Health Services, Cayuga Home For Children and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.
The report also noted that while the agency is supposed to check in with children one month after being placed with their sponsors, 85,000 children could not be contacted.
In April 2023, Robin Dunn Marcos, the director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement - the office responsible for the unaccompanied child program- was asked about operations and the 85,000 children the agency reportedly lost contact with.
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