House Republicans slam Biden admin over DHS report on poor communication over child migrants

A group of House Republicans on Tuesday slammed the Biden administration's handling of unaccompanied minor immigration cases, after a government watchdog reported there was inconsistent communication about the cases.

The Department of Homeland Security Inspector General's office released a report on Monday that called for better communication between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The report claimed that without better communication, it is hard to verify the safety of the children.

Unaccompanied minors who enter the country illegally are processed by ICE, and then given to HHS for placement while awaiting their court dates. However, the report claimed that ICE does not always notify HHS when a child fails to show up in court. It also noted that unaccompanied children are at higher risks for human trafficking, exploitation, and forced labor.

House Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, told reporters on a press call that the report showed more mismanagement from the administration on the United States' southern border.

“The southern border is a national security disaster and a humanitarian catastrophe, and Kamala Harris cannot be trusted to fix it,” Johnson said on the call, per The Hill. “It is on her watch that all this has happened.”

Johnson claimed that the Democratic messaging on immigration is "full of fantasy" instead of facts, and accused the administration of gaslighting the issue.

The immigration crisis at the U.S. southern border is considered one of the Republican Party's strongest issues heading into the November election, along with the economy. But Republicans do not poll as well on other key issues like abortion.

Immigration is also expected to be an important topic for Congress next month, when both chambers return from their August recess. House Republicans are hoping the Senate will push through the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would ban noncitizens from voting in federal elections. It already passed the House.

The call occurred while Democrats are gathered in Chicago for their party's convention, where New York Rep. Tom Suozzi is expected to speak about immigration on Wednesday night. 

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.