The August 2024 Department of Homeland Security Inspector General (DHS IG) report raises critical questions regarding the protection of unaccompanied children. Key concerns include safeguarding them from exploitation post-release, ensuring accurate address updates, and streamlining the adjudication of their immigration cases. The report emphasizes the need for a comprehensive, multi-agency approach involving departments such as Health and Human Services (HHS), Justice (DOJ), and Homeland Security (DHS). It also dispels the false narrative of 300,000 “missing” children and underscores the importance of providing unaccompanied children with legal representation and social services to support their safe integration.
Recommendations highlight the role of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) in delivering legal services and ensuring proper care, with congressional funding being vital to achieving these goals.
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