Trump Administration Lost Thousands More Migrant Children

A report from the DHS Office of the Inspector General finds that an unknown number of children, possibly thousands, were separated from parents at the US-Mexico border before the May 2018 “Zero Tolerance” family separation policy was announced, but weren’t been included in official government tallies of separated families. The kids in the OIG report were placed in foster care but haven’t been reunited with their parents because the Trump Administration lost them. A court ordered migrant family reunification in June 2018.

NBC found a draft of a December 2017 memo indicating that DHS and DOJ were planning the family separations well before Sessions’ “Zero Tolerance” announcement. That’s troubling for DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen who told the House Judiciary Committee, in sworn testimony on December 2018, “We’ve never had a policy for family separation.” Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) has called on the FBI to open a perjury investigation of Secretary Neilsen.

More:

“Thousands more migrant children separated under Trump than previously known,” Amanda Holpuch, The Guardian

Related:

“Trump’s health secretary refuses Democrats’ request to testify on separated kids,” Dan Diamond, Politico

Updates:

“Mexico won’t accept minors awaiting US asylum claims,” Associated Press

“No one at this child separation hearing knows how many children are still separated,” Kathryn Krawczyk, The Week

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Library of Congress to Inspector General — Shhh!

Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has accused the Library of Congress of trying to silence its own Inspector General and quash internal investigation of waste, fraud, abuse, and other crime, reports OhMyGov.com.  As another source puts it, “Grassley Throws Book at Library of Congress.”

The Senator sent a stern letter to Librarian of Congress Billington, including emails from LOC Chief Operating Officer Jo Ann C. Jenkins to Inspector General Karl Schornagel criticizing his investigations:  “Why does the IG feel it necessary to get publicity on this? This does nothing but highlight the issue in the press.” Ms. Jenkins, who suggested softening  the “negative” language of the IG’s  report to Congress, seems to have mistaken IG Karl Schornagel, a CPA and highly-experienced auditor, for her PR flack.