The Biden Border Crisis: Exploitation of Unaccompanied Alien Children

U.S. House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security and Enforcement

By Jessica M. Vaughan on April 26, 2023

Watch Full Hearing Video

Thank you, Mr. McClintock and Ms. Jayapal, for the opportunity to testify today. The mass migration crisis instigated by the Biden administration’s misguided immigration policies has caused incalculable harm to American communities, to the integrity of our immigration system, and, tragically, to many of the migrants themselves. These migrants were enticed by these policies to put themselves in risky situations to cross the border illegally, led by criminal smuggling and trafficking organizations, and enabled by government agencies and contractors that have looked the other way at the abuse and exploitation that frequently occurrs en route and after resettlement. The most vulnerable group that has been endangered by the Biden policies are the more than 300,000 minors who have arrived on his watch (out of 660,000 total since 2012). They have been carelessly funneled through the custody of U.S. government agencies and contractors, and handed off to very lightly vetted sponsors (who are usually also here illegally) in our communities without regard to their safety and well-being. There is no question that the system for processing minors who cross illegally is dysfunctional, and has been for some time, and needs to be fixed. However, merely improving the processing and placement of UACs will not address the cause of the problem; it would only make a bad policy just slightly more safe for a still endless flow of unaccompanied minors. Instead, Congress must focus on fixing the main cause of the problem – the legal loopholes and judicial rulings that force and enable the government to operate a massive catch and release program for illegally arriving alien children. In addition, Congress should refuse to fund the Biden programs that facilitate this influx of child migration and reform the Special Immigrant Juvenile program that offers a green card to tens of thousands of UACs.

Read the full testimony.