A congressional inquiry has intensified as a House committee subpoenaed Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra for information on the whereabouts of tens of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children in the U.S.
The House Homeland Security Committee is demanding details on how officials vetted and monitored these children after their placement with sponsors, the New York Post reported.
Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.) is pressing Secretary Xavier Becerra to provide extensive documentation concerning the oversight of unaccompanied migrant children, amid alarming reports about the potential risks of exploitation these minors face.
Despite HHS's efforts to provide 717 pages of documents, criticisms have mounted as 400 pages consisted solely of publicly available information. Mark Green condemned the inclusion of redundant documents as an oversight hindrance, emphasizing the severity of the department’s delayed response to originally requested records since August.
According to a disturbing report last month by the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general, a significant number of these children released into sponsorships cannot be tracked. Data from May 2024 revealed that about 291,000 minors had vanished from official oversight and an additional 32,000 did not appear at their scheduled court proceedings.
The issue primarily centers on the lack of stringent vetting processes, which senior HHS official Robin Dunn Marcos acknowledged in June 2023, specifically admitting the absence of criminal record checks from the children's countries of origin. Consequently, this admission has heightened concerns about the potential mishandling and misplacement of vulnerable children, thereby increasing scrutiny of the federal response.
Furthermore, the political backlash has extended to broader administration policies, with House Speaker Mike Johnson condemning the mishap as "modern-day slavery" and directly criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris’s oversight of border affairs.
Similarly, Mark Green expressed frustration, arguing that the inadequate federal strategies to safeguard young migrants have ultimately led to what he characterizes as a "humanitarian crisis." "Without proper vetting, migrant kids are at risk of sex trafficking, forced labor, and other forms of exploitation," one report noted, highlighting the dangers unvetted youths might face.
Nevertheless, despite these grave findings, HHS spokespeople dispute claims of non-cooperation, instead accusing House Republicans of creating a narrative of obstruction to justify their investigative actions.
Reports and testimonies, including that of Robin Dunn Marcos, have gradually shaped a grim picture of federal tracking and safety protocols—or their absence—for thousands of young migrants throughout this investigation. Many of these children, fleeing various adversities in their homelands, subsequently encounter new threats that sharply diverge from their expectations of sanctuary.
Meanwhile, the subpoena specifically seeks documents detailing how the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) conducts its sponsor screening and follow-up. Notably, insights from the August 19, 2023, report by the DHS inspector general spurred this investigation by revealing significant accountability issues related to migrant child placements.
Ultimately, this investigative pressure aims to expose a seemingly systemic failure involving federal agencies’ management of migrant children’s welfare. As the September 30, 2024, deadline for the transition period rapidly approaches, HHS faces mounting urgency to address the lost tracks of these children, ensuring that their quest for safety does not inadvertently lead them into more dangerous conditions.
