By The Biden administration’s failure to tackle the migrant crisis happening at the southern border has led to a rampant increase in what has been called “child slavery,” according to reports.
In April, The New York Times wrote, “Over the past two years, more than 250,000 migrant children have come alone to the United States. Thousands of children have ended up in punishing jobs across the country — working overnight in slaughterhouses, replacing roofs, operating machinery in factories — all in violation of child labor laws, a recent Times investigation showed. After the article’s publication in February, the White House announced policy changes and a crackdown on companies that hire children.
But all along, there were signs of the explosive growth of this labor force and warnings that the Biden administration ignored or missed, The Times has found.”
On Tuesday, Senator Josh Hawley called the absolute abomination that the White House lets this continue while confronting Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, The Daily Caller reported.
“I tell you what I’m tired of: I’ve had Secretary Mayorkas sit in front of me in a different committee, the Homeland Security Committee, where I asked him at length about the outrage of 250,000 migrant children, unaccompanied, crossing the border in the last two years and tens of thousands of them being sold into slavery,” Hawley said. “Let’s not mince words: they’ve been sold into slavery. When kids are being put into factories, forced to work overnight, forced to work in terrible conditions, they’re not getting paid, they’re not going to school, sometimes they’re not getting fed, that’s slavery”
“And what I’ve heard from Secretary Mayorkas — don’t take my word for it; you go look at the record, read the transcript — what he told me was, ‘Oh it’s not my problem. We don’t have anything to do with it. Not my problem.’ Now we have a new report from [the Department of Health and Human Services] where they say it’s not their problem,” the Missouri senator continued. “Amazing how this works. Nobody’s responsible, these kids are literally being sold as slaves in the United States of America in the year of 2023 and nobody’s responsible. They don’t want you to come and testify to this committee. You bet they don’t. They don’t want to be put under oath. They don’t want to answer any questions. They don’t want cameras here. They don’t want to take any responsibility. Well I tell you, it’s somebody’s fault. It’s not the kids’ fault.”
Hawley then praised the New York Times for its reporting, citing the story of one teen, 15-year-old Carolina Yoc of Guatemala, who works at a Cheerios factory. Yoc told the Times that her stomach often hurts and she’s tired due to the lack of sleep and stress.
Let the record reflect that this administration has let tens of thousands of children be sold into slavery, and they are doing nothing about it,” Hawley said. “We need to figure out what in the world is going on and who’s to be held accountable for this, because I tell you what’s not an acceptable answer: it’s not acceptable to say, ‘It’s not my problem; we wish the kids the best.’ The kids are in danger, the kids are in slavery, the kids are being exploited, and it should not happen in the United States of America!”
Mayorkas has come under intense scrutiny over his absolute failures in handling the border, and it may cost him his job. The Hill noted that “House Republicans inched closer this week toward impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, officially launching an investigation that would serve as the basis for any inquiry.
On Wednesday, Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee said they would review Mayorkas’s performance through a five-phase plan, which Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.) said could be completed in a matter of 11 or 12 weeks.
‘His policies have resulted in a humanitarian crisis this country has never seen,’ Green said at a press conference.
‘Today’s hearing will begin the process of digging into all of the details. The cause and effect of Alejandro Mayorkas’s dereliction of duty. I hope the American people will listen intently. I hope the press will report this, honestly. I hope the president of the United States, the commander in chief charged with the security and protection of this country, will listen. He can’t possibly know of all of these failures of Mayorkas and have not fired him already.'”
GOP leaders are facing serious pressure from conservatives eager to fulfill a big promise to the party’s base by voting to recommend the Homeland Security secretary’s removal over Biden administration border policies. But top Republicans remain short of the votes they need to impeach Mayorkas six months into their majority, which leaves their right flank in the position of chief salesperson.
Biggs and his allies still face skepticism within the GOP conference — and, crucially, the Arizona Republican acknowledged, among Republicans in the Judiciary Committee, where impeachment articles would have to originate. While there is growing public pressure from some of the right flank’s most vocal members to make good on vows to hold the Biden administration accountable for the border, some centrists are still unsure, at best, that impeaching Mayorkas is a winning political message.”
The impeachment push still faces some hurdles, however. The supporters need to win over GOP leadership, though “McCarthy has opened the door to impeachment in public comments, but not formally embraced it. Biggs said he views the California Republican was ‘kind of saying yes.'”
A bigger challenge may be to win over moderate Republicans who represent districts won by Joe Biden in 2020. Despite many admitting that Mayorkas has been a disaster, they also believe that there are more important things to focus on than impeaching a cabinet member.
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