Sen. James Lankford, Oklahoma Republican, insisted Sunday that the administration knows where “every single child is,” refuting reports that agencies have lost track of some children recently separated from their border-crossing families.
“Let me clarify this: We know where every single child is,” Mr. Lankford told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“These are career professionals that work with HHS and that work with DHS and Customs and Border Patrol and ICE,” said Mr. Lankford. “These are not political appointees, these are career folks. They know where every child is to be able to connect them to the parent or the relative they came [with].”
THIS MORNING: Sen. Lankford (R-Okla.) tells Chuck that government immigration detention centers are run by career professionals. #MTP@SenatorLankford: “We know where every single child is.” pic.twitter.com/RovaNXS8NN
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) June 24, 2018
He said that of the 12,000 children placed with sponsors, in foster care and other facilities, about 10,000 were unaccompanied minors. More than 2,000 minors crossed the border with family members but not necessarily parents.
“They’re all in HHS custody and they’re trying to be able to reconnect them now,” said Mr. Lankford.
He said some media outlets have “not been responsible with this,” presumably referring to reports that the Office of Refugee Resettlement was unable to reach by phone last year the sponsors of 1,475 unaccompanied minors, or about 14 percent.
President Trump signed Wednesday an executive order to stop separating parents from their children after detaining the adults attempting to cross into the country illegally.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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