Republican members of the US House Oversight and Accountability Committee's Subcommittee on Federal Law Enforcement said on 22 July that tens of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children who crossed the southern border under the Biden administration may still be unaccounted for. Witnesses at the roundtable urged tighter sponsor screening, stronger inter-agency data sharing, and more aggressive action against trafficking networks exploiting vulnerable minors.

Key Developments at the Roundtable

Subcommittee Chairman Congressman Clay Higgins said the Trump administration had located 146,000 children since taking office. However, estimates of how many remain outside government contact varied sharply. Retired Border Patrol chief Chris Clem put the figure at approximately 80,000, while other Republican members cited considerably higher totals.

Jarrod Sadulski, vice-president and co-founder of Guard Against Trafficking, cautioned that the available data did not allow a precise count. 'It's difficult to know the exact number,' he said, adding that the figures for younger children were especially unclear.

What Witnesses Said About Trafficking and Exploitation

Sadulski told the panel that criminal organisations had used vulnerable children for forced labour, sexual exploitation, and fraudulent sponsorship schemes. He called for stronger post-placement monitoring and closer coordination among local, state, and federal agencies to prevent further exploitation.

Clem, who served as a senior adviser at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in early 2025, said the current administration had significantly tightened sponsor verification. Measures now in use include government-issued identification, DNA testing for claimed biological relatives, FBI fingerprint checks for adult household members, and home suitability assessments.

Clem also called for amendments to the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorisation Act, arguing that smugglers had systematically exploited protections originally designed to safeguard children. 'No exceptions should be made when it comes to protecting children,' he said.

Border Situation and Policy Background

Participants blamed Biden-era border and placement policies for weakening oversight, saying children were released to sponsors without adequate background checks and that delayed immigration documents made subsequent investigations significantly harder.

Julio Rosas, a reporter who recently travelled to Tapachula in southern Mexico, warned that migrant groups were still moving northward through Mexico. He said some migrants indicated they would wait for a future shift in US political leadership before attempting to cross into the country.

Under the 2008 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorisation Act, most unaccompanied children arriving from countries other than Canada or Mexico must be transferred from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to HHS within 72 hours. Responsibility for these cases is divided among Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), and immigration courts.

Absence of Democratic Response

No Democratic members attended the roundtable, according to Higgins. The session did not include any response from Democratic lawmakers or former Biden administration officials to the accusations raised during the hearing, leaving the proceedings entirely one-sided in their framing.

Congress has repeatedly debated sponsor screening standards, inter-agency data sharing protocols, service of court notices to minors, and potential revisions to the 2008 law — with no consensus legislation yet enacted. The roundtable signals renewed Republican pressure to legislate on these gaps as migration continues to be a central political flashpoint.