Miller-Meeks & Katko Send Letter to HHS and DHS About Unaccompanied Children

WASHINGTON, D.C.—This week, Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02) and John Katko (NY-24), the Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Committee, sent a letter to the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary, Xavier Becerra, and the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, on the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) reported plan to start releasing Unaccompanied Alien Children (UACs) prior to the completion of their sponsors’ background checks, and additional reports that Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) background checks are not being conducted on caregivers at HHS emergency influx sites.

In their letter, the members highlighted past failures to thoroughly conduct background checks on sponsors. The lack of sufficient background checks in the past has led to cases of child trafficking and forced labor. There are current reports that HHS is not requiring caregivers to go through FBI fingerprint background checks at the growing number of emergency sites. Additionally, the members urged the Secretaries to not implement policies that would put children’s lives in danger or policies that encourage families to pay smugglers to bring children across the border.

“As the number of unaccompanied children crossing our Southwest border continues to increase, we must make sure that we are conducting detailed and thorough background checks on their sponsors. Ensuring the safety and well-being of children must be one of our top priorities in Congress,” said Miller-Meeks. “I implore Secretary Becerra and Secretary Mayorkas to guarantee that the safeguards created to protect children from human traffickers remain in place. I am proud to partner with Ranking Member Katko on this effort and will continue to work to confirm that these sponsors and caregivers are not a threat to the children.”

“I am extremely concerned by reports that HHS plans to begin releasing migrant children without completing background checks on their sponsors. As we have unfortunately seen in the past, failure to thoroughly vet sponsors can have dire ramifications and has led to cases of child trafficking and forced labor,” said Katko. “In the midst of this large-scale humanitarian crisis, the safety of children in DHS and HHS care must remain a top priority. I thank Rep. Miller-Meeks for leading this effort, and we will continue to push the Biden Administration to reverse the misguided policy decisions that created this crisis in the first place and are putting thousands of children in harm’s way.”

In their letter, the members requested the following, in writing, by April 6, 2021:

• The implementation status of the policies to release UACs to sponsors before vetting has been completed and the hiring of UAC caretakers who have not passed FBI background checks;
• An identification of services that DHS could provide to address these vulnerabilities; and
• An explanation of why DHS is not being asked to assist with such background checks to ensure UACs are not being released to people who will harm them or being cared for in HHS facilities by those that are unfit to do so.

To read the full letter, click HERE.

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