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On Monday, the House Judiciary Committee released an interim staff report titled, “
New Information and Testimony From Biden Administration Officials Reveal Disregard for Potential Gang Affiliation of UACs.” The report details how President Biden’s open-borders policies coupled with Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Becerra’s emphasis on the speed, rather than the integrity, of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) placements has created a situation endangering the American public and UACs.
After reviewing hundreds of nonpublic documents and hours of testimony from Biden Administration officials, the Committee’s report reveals:
- HHS does not have a policy to refer known gang members to the Justice Department.
- HHS does not ask UACs’ home country consulates or embassies for their criminal record despite having the ability to do so.
- HHS told the Committee they have never performed an audit in the case of the UAC who they released and went on to murder 19 year-old Kayla Hamilton.
- HHS admitted that it does not currently have any secure facilities designed for the secure placement of UACs who pose a danger to themselves or others or who have been determined to have a criminal record.
While UAC releases have soared to all-time highs, under the leadership of HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) has “par[ed] back protections that had been in place for years[,] including some background checks and reviews of children’s files.” HHS’s failure to adequately screen sponsors pre-placement and monitor UACs post-placement has resulted in the exploitation of UACs, including UACs working in dangerous jobs that children are legally prohibited from doing.
As the Committee and Subcommittee’s oversight has shown, the lax policies of President Biden and Secretary Becerra have incentivized criminals, such as the MS-13-affiliated illegal alien who murdered Kayla Hamilton, to come to the southwest border, knowing they very likely will be released into the interior of the country. The Biden Administration has failed to secure our borders and ensure no other Americans are similarly victimized. In the meantime, the Committee and Subcommittee will continue to conduct oversight to inform legislative reforms to the Administration’s failing and dangerous open-borders immigration policies.
Read the full interim staff report here.
Read the interim staff report on the murder of Kayla Hamilton here.
