U.S. authorities lost track of 6 thousand childrenillegally crossed the border without their parents, the newspaper McClatchy.
The Ministry of health and social services of the United States (United States Department of Health and Human Services — HHS) stated that it was unable to find about 1 475 children, transferred to the Trustees. However, McClatchy, analyzing data from HHS, claims that the real number is closer to 6 thousand.
According to official data, in 2017 the government was transferred to the custody of 42.5 thousand. As reported in HHS, 14% of Trustees were not available for communication. Hence analysts McClatchy concluded that the Ministry has missed about 5 945 children.
In may, Federal officials argued that a juvenile, whom they can’t be counted, not «lost». As it turned out, the Office for the resettlement of refugees (Office of Refugee Resettlement — ORR) is not legally responsible for children after their transfer to the Trustees, mainly parents or other close relatives.
ORR voluntarily notifying responsible persons to check the welfare of children. But because some of the Trustees are in the U.S. without any legal status or for some other reason you do not want to speak with Federal officials, they often do not respond to calls.
The weekly newsletter!
Subscribe to be the first to receive urgent news, it’s free
By signing, I agree to receive in my Inbox weekly newsletter USA.ONE
Thank you very much for the subscription!
Steven Wagner, acting assistant Secretary of the Department of children and families, told the McClatchy reporters that «there is no reason to believe that children something wrong».
«If you call a friend, and he will not answer the call, you do not think that he was the victim of a kidnapper, Wagner said. — So the statement that the children were missing, incorrect».
Experts told McClatchy that in connection with the policy of «zero tolerance» separation of children from their parents at the border, most likely, will only worsen the problem of the protection of minors.
