Palmetto State News

U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) have sent a letter to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, urging them to address abuses in the administration's unaccompanied migrant children program. The senators are calling for cooperation with Congress to resolve issues within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which has reportedly failed to comply with subpoenas and information requests from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

"As a result of your open-borders policies, overseen by Vice President Harris, who was tasked with 'stemming the migration' at our border with Mexico, more than 500,000 unaccompanied alien children (UACs) have crossed the southwest border without a parent or guardian to provide care since you took office," wrote the senators. They noted that these children often face severe abuse and exploitation during their journey.

The senators criticized HHS's Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) for reducing background checks and vetting procedures despite being aware of trafficking risks. "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," they stated.

"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," continued the senators. They urged changes in policies and procedures to end what they described as a public safety crisis.

"[The Biden-Harris HHS] must stop its cover-up and cooperate with law enforcement and Congress to end this crisis and protect unaccompanied children and the American people," concluded the lawmakers.

The letter was co-signed by several other Republican lawmakers including Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), among others.

In their appeal, Scott, Grassley, and their colleagues emphasized enhancing information sharing with law enforcement, cooperating fully with DHS investigations into child exploitation, and responding thoroughly to congressional oversight requests.