U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) demanded honesty and transparency on Monday from Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra over the reports of his Department’s mistreatment of 85,000 missing migrant children.
This follows Becerra and his department stonewalling Blackburn in her initial request in April for documentation about his knowledge of the potential child exploitation and the department’s retaliation against whistleblowers.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection statistics show that since President Joe Biden entered office, 257,110 migrant minors have been encountered at the country’s borders. When Border Patrol detains children, they quickly release them to sponsors all throughout the nation rather than sending them back to their native countries. Many of the children placed with sponsors are forced to work in dangerous jobs across the country in violation of child labor laws.
During a Senate Finance Committee Hearing in March, Becerra indicated that he was unaware that these children’s sponsors were forcing them to work in dangerous jobs for long hours, nor was he familiar with the fact that 85,000 children had gone missing under his watch.
According to the New York Times, however, staffers and outside contractors informed the Department of Health and Human Services multiple times that migrant children appeared to be at risk of exploitation, and they even presented evidence that allegedly made it to Becerra for review. Not only did Becerra ignore these individuals, but also allegedly punished them for bringing forth this information.
According to Blackburn, she received a “completely inadequate” response from the Department of Health and Human Services following her request for documentation in April.
“Your agency’s written response to my inquiry, which you did not even take the time to write yourself, was completely inadequate and an insult to the duty of oversight entrusted to the United States Senate. I asked you specifically about your knowledge of this crisis and your involvement in the alleged whistleblower retaliation that has taken place under your watch, yet your Assistant Secretary declined to answer a single question. Additionally, I asked you to provide the documents you received regarding the potential exploitation of these migrant children, but Assistant Secretary Hild failed to produce a single document,” Blackburn said.
Senator Blackburn said that Becerra’s lack of urgency and refusal to provide information at her request speaks volumes regarding his mishandling of this crisis.
“Your department’s lack of urgency on this matter, and your continued refusal to provide information about the amount of time you spent in California instead of fulfilling your duties in-person, speaks volumes regarding your mishandling of this crisis…The American people, and the families of the 85,000 migrant children that this administration lost, deserve answers about your role in this grave dereliction of duty,” Blackburn said.
The Tennessee Star reached out to Blackburn for additional comment but did not receive a reply before press time.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star, The Star News Network, The Arizona Sun Times, and The Tennessee Star. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected]
