Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) have raised concerns about the Department of Health and Human Services’ inability to get in touch with thousands of unaccompanied minors who were placed with sponsors after crossing the border. This has led to speculation that they may have been trafficked for use as cheap labour.
Hawley stated in his letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Thursday, “The FBI must mount a full-scale effort to locate these missing children and to bring to justice the criminals who are holding them in modern-day slavery.”
Hawley demanded that the FBI look into the Department of Homeland Security and HHS for allegedly turning a blind eye to whistleblowers and holding the Biden administration “morally responsible” for the situation. She wrote, “The FBI must also investigate HHS and the Department of Homeland Security for their role in facilitating the exploitation of these children, in violation of the law.”
Blackburn expressed her “deep concern” about the circumstance in a separate letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. She questioned Becerra as to when he was made aware “of the mishandling and exploitation” of youngsters whose welfare the agency is tasked with monitoring.
Caseworkers stated that HHS disregarded warning indicators that children were being exploited and estimated that up to two-thirds of unaccompanied child border crossers ended up working full-time.
Susan Rice, President Biden’s senior domestic policy advisor, revealed last week that she would be quitting her job after a follow-up article by the Times last week suggested she had disregarded worries about immigrants being compelled to labour.
US Customs and Border Protection estimates that since 2021, 340,000 unaccompanied minors have arrived at the US border.
