Ohio AG Wilson: 8,200 unaccompanied migrant children have come to Ohio since 2021
Children on the Border: An officer at McAllen, Texas Border Patrol facility distributing refreshments. (CBP Photo by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)/Released)
Thousands of unaccompanied migrant children have come to Ohio over the past five years, the state’s attorney general said this week.
During his remarks at the seventh annual Human Trafficking Conference, held this week in Columbus, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said 8,200 unaccompanied migrant children have come to Ohio since 2021.
Hosted by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, the conference is billed as the largest of its kind in the state. The Buckeye State’s top law enforcement official urged advocates, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and service providers to continue working to fight human trafficking and help identify and protect victims.
“Our Human Trafficking Initiative, task forces, and law enforcement do a heroic job of identifying victims and supporting survivors,” he said in his opening remarks, according to a release. “Ohio is a leader in this work; thanks to the hard work you do every day to end trafficking.”
According to the Migration Policy Institute, there has been “substantial growth in the number of children arriving without a parent or guardian at the U.S-Mexico border since 2011.”
Institute numbers show 12,527 unaccompanied children were released to sponsors in Ohio between fiscal 2014 and fiscal 2024, and Ohio’s share of unaccompanied children in the country stood at 1.6%.
Hannah Hundley, a spokesperson for Wilson, did not respond to a request for more information, including whether most of the 8,200 unaccompanied migrant children came to the Buckeye State under the administration of former President Joe Biden.
According to the Center for Immigration Studies, roughly 540,000 unaccompanied migrant children “were apprehended after crossing illegally during” Biden’s four years in office. The group said 448,000 were released to sponsors, and it also cited a Department of Homeland Security investigation that found 233,000 were subsequently unaccounted for, and the government was unsure of their whereabouts.
