HHS admits it cannot locate 1,475 migrant children released to sponsors

HHS official Steven Wagner testified before the Senate Homeland Security subcommittee that the agency had lost track of 1,475 migrant children released to sponsors in 2017-2018 after follow-up calls found the children were no longer at the reported addresses. HHS had released the children without adequate background checks on sponsors. A subsequent OIG audit found systemic failures in the sponsor placement tracking system, raising alarms about potential trafficking.