A Senate committee investigation exposes troubling patterns in the federal government's handling of unaccompanied migrant children cases.
According to Daily Caller, a Senate committee report released Tuesday accuses the Biden-Harris administration of deliberately impeding both congressional and state-level investigations into the exploitation and trafficking of unaccompanied alien children.
The report, issued by Louisiana GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy, ranking member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, highlights systematic failures in protecting migrant children.
These failures have reportedly led to widespread abuse and exploitation cases, while attempts to investigate these incidents have faced significant administrative roadblocks.
The Department of Health and Human Services has consistently delayed or ignored information requests regarding the care of unaccompanied children within the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
State-level investigations, particularly in Florida and Virginia, have encountered similar obstacles. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's efforts to investigate cases of sexual exploitation and drug trafficking involving migrant children were met with resistance from HHS officials.
Virginia officials have faced comparable challenges in their investigations. Attorney General Jason Miyares has repeatedly reached out to President Biden and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra about the difficulties in tracking missing and exploited migrant children. The lack of information sharing by HHS has significantly hampered these state-level investigations.
Sen. Cassidy expressed his frustration with the administration's approach, stating:
The exploitation of unaccompanied children has been documented for years. The Biden-Harris administration should have fixed its policies to protect these children, but instead it subverted Congress and states to cover up its mistakes.
The situation has become increasingly concerning as federal officials have lost contact with thousands of unaccompanied migrant children. This development was confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General in August, revealing that officials have been unable to track tens of thousands of children who entered the country since fiscal year 2019.
The administration's response to oversight attempts has drawn sharp criticism from committee members. When Cassidy's office submitted requests for information about sponsor vetting and child safety measures, HHS consistently delayed their responses or failed to respond altogether. The department has also been accused of actively discouraging Florida entities that contract with ORR from cooperating with state investigators.
Sen. Cassidy further emphasized his concerns about the administration's lack of transparency:
This lack of transparency to the American people is reprehensible. It is hard to see this as anything other than an attempt to shield the Biden-Harris administration from accountability.
The Biden-Harris administration faces mounting pressure to address these oversight challenges and improve its handling of unaccompanied migrant children cases. The Senate committee's findings have highlighted significant gaps in the current system's accountability and child protection measures. Despite repeated requests for comment, the White House had not provided an immediate response to these allegations.
The investigation reveals a complex web of administrative obstacles and accountability issues surrounding the protection of migrant children. As state and federal officials continue their efforts to investigate cases of exploitation and trafficking, the administration's response to these oversight attempts remains a critical point of concern for lawmakers and child welfare advocates.
