Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) and his Republican colleagues on the House Oversight Committee released a report last week showing that most separated migrant children have been reunited with their families.
“The Committee’s oversight to date contradicts the Democrat narrative that the Trump Administration is neglecting separated children at the border. In fact, the data produced to date show that the Administration has reunited an overwhelming majority of children separated at the border,” states the report, released July 18.
According to the report, the Trump Administration has identified 2,648 children who were potentially separated from their families at the southern border. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has provided data to the House Oversight Committee on 1,619 of those children.
“According to a staff analysis of this HHS data, out of the 1,619 children, 1,603 – or 99 percent – of the children have been discharged from HHS custody,” the report continues. Of the 1,603 discharged children, 1,546 were either reunified with an individual sponsor or released to a parent.
That means, the report concludes, that 95 percent of separated children have been reunited with a guardian.
The report goes on to provide information on the remaining children who had not been reunited with an individual sponsor or a parent. Most of them either sought “voluntary departure,” meaning they went back to their home countries, or they aged out of the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s custody.
“Although Democrats allege that 30 children remain separated from their families, these children remain separated largely because either the parents pose a danger to their child or the parents have expressed an intent not to reunify with their child,” the report reveals.
“In light of these circumstances, the Committee must work to address the root causes of the crisis at the southern border – not seek to mischaracterize facts to advance a partisan political agenda,” it concludes.
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McCarthy testified before the House Oversight Committee Thursday during a hearing on the border crisis.
“First Democrats ignore the border crisis. Then they blame the President for the crisis, even though he’s working to fix it,” Jordan after the hearing. “All while making ridiculous and dangerous statements that incentivize more illegal immigrants to come in the first place.”
During his questioning of of McCarthy, Jordan asked if accusing border agents “of torture” or of “working at concentration camps” helps with the crisis.
• Does accusing CBP agents of torture help with the crisis at the border? NO
• Does accusing CBP of working at concentration camps help with the crisis? NO
• Does accusing CBP of negligent homicide help with the crisis? NO
• Does abolishing ICE help with the crisis? NO pic.twitter.com/3OLrCKS9Ys
— Oversight Committee Republicans (@GOPoversight) July 18, 2019
The full report can be read here and Jordan’s remarks can be watched below:
First Democrats ignore the border crisis.
Then they blame the President for the crisis, even though he's working to fix it.
All while making ridiculous and dangerous statements that incentivize more illegal immigrants to come in the first place! pic.twitter.com/tTUuSkD6pm
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) July 18, 2019
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
