Jefferson Reporter

U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) have joined Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and 41 other Republican lawmakers in urging President Biden and Vice President Harris to address alleged abuses within the unaccompanied alien children program. In a letter, the senators called for cooperation with Congress to resolve issues and end what they described as a cover-up by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The letter highlights concerns over HHS's failure to comply with subpoenas from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding suspicious sponsors of unaccompanied minors. The senators attributed an increase in unaccompanied children crossing the southwest border to what they termed "open-borders policies" overseen by Vice President Harris.

“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, a massive increase when compared to previous administrations," wrote the senators.

The letter also criticizes HHS for allegedly reducing background checks on sponsors and limiting information sharing between HHS and law enforcement agencies. It mentions that these actions were detrimental to child safety.

Additional signatories include Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Kevin Cramer (R-N.Dak.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Hoeven (R-N.Dak.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), John Kennedy (R-La.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Roger Marshall (R-Kans.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Jim Risch(R-Idaho), Rick Scott(R-Fla), Dan Sullivan(R-Alaska), John Thune(R-S.Dak.)and Roger Wicker(R-Miss.).

House Representatives Cliff Bentz(R-OR-02), Dan Bishop(R-NC-08), Andy Biggs(R-AZ-05), Ben Cline(R-VA-06), Russell Fry(R-SC-07), Matt Gaetz(R-FL-01), Harriet Hageman(R-WY-at-Large), Wesley Hunt(R-TX-38), Jim Jordan(R-OH-04), Laurel Lee( R-FL15 ), Tom McClintock( R-Ca -05 ), Barry Moore( R-Al -02 ), Chip Roy( R-TX -21 ), Michael Rulli(ROH06 )and Scott Fitzgerald( RW105 )also signed the letter.

In their communication, the senators allege that UACs face significant risks including abuse and trafficking. They accuse HHS of failing these children by placing them with unvetted sponsors who continue to exploit them. They further claim that HHS obstructed congressional inquiries into these issues.

"When Senator Grassley and Senator Cassidy asked HHS ORR contractors and grantees whether they took necessary steps to protect children, HHS obstructed those inquiries," states the letter.

The lawmakers urge immediate changes in policies related to UACs and demand transparency from HHS. They call for improved cooperation between federal agencies and full compliance with congressional oversight requests.

"This is not a partisan issue. It can and should bring us together as we try to protect Americans and UACs placed in HHS ORRs custody alike," concludes the letter.

In addition to this recent effort, Senator Britt participated in a roundtable discussion earlier this year on similar issues concerning unaccompanied migrant children.