On December 22, 2024, during an interview on “Face the Nation,” Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, dismissed the trafficking of children at the border as “outside the responsibility of DHS.” This stunning remark followed a scathing Inspector General’s report that exposed systemic failures and the federal government’s inability to account for 300,000 missing migrant children. The report underscores a breakdown that extends beyond DHS to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), both of which report directly to President Biden and Vice President Harris. This is not just a bureaucratic failure — it is a collapse of leadership at the highest level.
To grasp the scale of this tragedy, consider that 300,000 children is equivalent to the populations of St. Louis, Cincinnati, or Pittsburgh. Imagine an entire city of children vanishing without a trace. Some of these children are dead. Others endure horrific abuse. Yet, Mayorkas shrugs off responsibility as though these children simply disappeared.
The Inspector General’s report laid bare the federal government’s inability to track children after their release from custody and its gross failure to vet sponsors. Speaker Mike Johnson called this a “moral failing,” rightly pointing to the administration’s dangerously misplaced priorities.
Policies of Empathy, Results of Chaos
The Biden-Harris administration portrays its border policies as compassionate, but the reality tells a different story. By dismantling Trump-era measures like Remain in Mexico, the administration broadcast to the world that the U.S. border was open. Predictably, human traffickers and cartels took full advantage, leading to a humanitarian disaster of staggering proportions.
HHS, overwhelmed by a surge in unaccompanied minors, resorted to hasty, negligent vetting processes. In one case, more than 50 children were released to the same address.
In another, a child was abandoned in an empty field, left utterly alone.
This isn’t compassion. It’s neglect and abuse, masked by hollow progressive rhetoric.
Lost and Exploited
A New York Times investigation uncovered the exploitation of these children in industries ranging from shadowy operations to household-name corporations. In California, they stitch “Made in America” tags into J. Crew shirts. They bake dinner rolls sold at Walmart and Target, process milk for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, and debone chicken sold at Whole Foods. In Michigan, children produce auto parts for Ford and General Motors.
This isn’t just a hidden issue in construction or agriculture. It is systemic exploitation, implicating major corporations. The government’s abandonment of 300,000 children has created a moral catastrophe that tarnishes both public and private institutions.
The Homeland Security Act and DHS’s Obligation
TBlue Campaign, established in 2010, were designed to uphold these mandates. The Blue Campaign collaborates with NGOs, private organizations, and law enforcement to prevent trafficking and protect victims.
Mayorkas’s deflection of responsibility defies this mandate. The administration’s reckless border policies amplified this crisis, and the question remains: who will take responsibility for these missing children?
The Hypocrisy of the Left
Where is the progressive outrage now? The same voices that condemned Trump-era family separations as inhumane have fallen silent in the face of this far greater tragedy. The speeches, protests, and emotional appeals are nowhere to be found.
By claiming to care deeply about immigrant children, the Biden administration cloaks itself in empathy. Yet its policies created the conditions for this disaster. Worse, many progressives will rediscover their outrage against President Trump, eager to blame him for crises they ignored. It’s a sickening truth: these children only seem to matter when they serve as political tools.
Mayorkas: The Worst Cabinet Official Since McNamara?
To call Mayorkas unfit for his position is an understatement. He presides over the most porous border in modern history, with over 2.4 million illegal encounters in fiscal year 2023 alone. Untold millions more likely crossed undetected, slipping into the country without notice. His department has failed to enforce border security, empowered traffickers, and abandoned children — with countless others lost due to DHS’s negligence.
When historians assess this era, Mayorkas will likely be remembered as the worst cabinet official since Robert McNamara, who escalated the Vietnam War, or Albert Fall, whose corruption led to the Teapot Dome scandal. Like McNamara’s disastrous escalation of the Vietnam War and Fall’s corruption that eroded public trust, Mayorkas’s tenure is a crisis of competence and integrity. His legacy will be measured not only by administrative failures but by the lives irrevocably harmed by his negligence.
Mayorkas Must Be Held Accountable
Restoring dignity and justice for these children demands accountability and a national commitment to never repeat these failures. These children deserved better — and so does America.
Congress must act decisively. Investigations, oversight hearings, and legislative reform are essential. Holding Mayorkas and others accountable must remain a priority beyond Inauguration Day.
The loss of 300,000 children is not a statistic. Each is a life stolen by systemic failure. Alejandro Mayorkas failed them. The Biden-Harris administration has failed them. And they have failed us all.
Charlton Allen is an attorney and former Chief Executive Officer and Chief Judicial Officer of the North Carolina Industrial Commission. He is the founder and editor of The American Salient and the host of The Modern Federalist podcast.
Image: Department of Homeland Security
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