How 85,000 Migrant Kids Went Missing Under Biden's Watch

When unaccompanied migrant children cross the border, they're supposed to be placed in HHS shelters until vetted sponsors (usually family members) can take custody. The system has longstanding safeguards like background checks and follow-up calls to prevent trafficking. Biden inherited overcrowded facilities from Trump, with kids stuck in jail-like conditions that created political pressure to move them faster.

Facing terrible optics of kids in tent cities, Xavier Becerra's HHS began stripping away safety protocols to speed up releases. Becerra literally told staff to run it like a Henry Ford assembly line, removing background checks and file reviews that had been standard for years. Despite warnings from a dozen HHS officials that child labor trafficking was increasing, the agency prioritized quick releases over safe ones. Over two years, more than 85,000 children became untrackable after placement with sponsors. The HHS Inspector General later found gaps in sponsor screening and missing safety documentation in 16% of sampled cases.

This represents a massive systemic failure that may have enabled child trafficking on an unprecedented scale. The federal government essentially lost track of tens of thousands of vulnerable children after deliberately removing safeguards designed to protect them. Now Becerra is running for governor of California, potentially putting someone who oversaw this disaster in charge of the nation's largest state.

Watch whether this scandal gains traction in the California Democratic primary and if other candidates make it a central attack line. The HHS Inspector General's investigation is ongoing, which could produce more damaging findings.