- The letter accuses the Biden/Harris Administration of taking shortcuts in vetting sponsors for more than 500,000 unaccompanied minors who've entered the US during their term.
Rep. Dan Bishop, R-NC, has joined more than 40 Republican lawmakers in signing a letter sent to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, urging immediate action to address concerns about the handling of unaccompanied migrant children by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The letter, dated September 23, 2024, calls for an end to what the legislators describe as a “cover-up” related to the safety and welfare of thousands of vulnerable children who have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border.
The letter, spearheaded by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-IA, and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-OH, highlights the rapid increase in the number of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) entering the US since Biden took office, citing more than 500,000 cases during the administration’s term. The lawmakers argue that many of these children have been placed in the hands of sponsors who are inadequately vetted, leading to cases of exploitation, abuse, and even human trafficking.
“Even as the trafficking business and the number of children entering the U.S. surged, HHS ORR cut back significantly on background checks and vetting procedures to speed up the process, despite knowing children were being trafficked through HHS ORR’s UAC program,” the lawmakers write. ” Your Administration likewise continued Vice President Harris’s longtime priority of cutting back on information sharing between HHS ORR and law enforcement related to unaccompanied children and sponsors.”
Grassley’s office has been working to find children that are so far unaccounted for, and said lawmakers are not getting cooperation from the Biden/Harris administration. The issue came to the forefront after a 2023 report showed more than 85,000 children were unaccounted for by DHS’ Office of Refugee Resettlement. A report out from the DHS in August indicates that number may have now climbed to 325,000.
“HHS has failed to comply with two out of three Department of Homeland Security (DHS) subpoenas and other information requests issued amid its investigation into more than 100 suspicious sponsors identified as a result of Grassley’s oversight,” Grassley’s office wrote.
Bishop, who represents North Carolina’s 8th District, has consistently voiced concerns about border security and immigration policies. The letter accuses the administration of prioritizing speed over safety in placing children with sponsors, leading to dangerous outcomes for many UACs.
The lawmakers’ concerns are based on reports of children being trafficked, abused, and in some cases, lost within the system. The letter references specific cases where unaccompanied minors were released to sponsors with known criminal backgrounds or gang affiliations, only to commit violent crimes after their release. One such case involved a minor with gang ties who murdered a 20-year-old woman, highlighting what the signers describe as a failure of the administration to prioritize public safety.
Bishop and his colleagues are demanding greater transparency from HHS and its Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), specifically calling for access to the UAC Portal—a system that tracks the placement of these children. The lawmakers argue that law enforcement agencies and Congress need access to this information to fully investigate trafficking and abuse allegations and to locate the children who have gone missing from the system.
The letter also underscores that this issue transcends partisan politics, emphasizing the urgency of protecting both migrant children and US citizens from the consequences of poorly managed border policies. It calls on President Biden to instruct HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra to end what they describe as an obstruction of congressional oversight and to fully cooperate with law enforcement in investigating trafficking cases.
“This is not a partisan issue. It can and should bring us together, as we try to protect Americans and UACs placed in HHS ORR custody alike,” lawmakers wrote. “Your Administration must make changes to its policies and procedures for UACs to end this public safety crisis. It must also take urgent steps to provide information to law enforcement and Congress, to reveal the crisis’s full scope.”