The children are considered
unaccompanied minors. Under U.S. law, they cannot be deported right away. They are placed with sponsors, who are typically close relatives such as parents, siblings or aunts and uncles that live in the USA. About 10% of the time, the minors are placed with people who aren't related to them.
Placing these children with sponsors is a policy that dates back to the Obama administration.
After a child is placed with a sponsor, Wagner said that child is no longer in HHS custody and the department is no longer "legally responsible."
"Out of an abundance of caution," he said, the agency tried to check in on thousands of children by calling their sponsors. In 1,475 cases, nobody picked up the phone.
He said many sponsors did not answer the phone because they were undocumented immigrants themselves and did not want to talk with federal agents. Wagner said that does not mean the children are missing or in danger.
There are essentially three policy issues that have become conflated: unaccompanied minors at the border, separating children from their parents at the border and families seeking asylum. We break down what those issues are and what it all means.
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