In a move to safeguard the well-being of unaccompanied migrant children, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has taken decisive action against the Biden administration's policies that he believes endanger these vulnerable young individuals.
As a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which handles immigration matters, Grassley has spearheaded a bipartisan Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution aimed at overturning a recent HHS rule that he claims codifies harmful practices, putting these children at risk of abuse and neglect.
“The Biden administration ignored warnings from Congress and the Inspector General that its policies put children at risk and instead moved to finalize its current rule. Biden’s Health and Human Services Department has lost tens of thousands of vulnerable kids and handed over many others to abusers and criminals. This exploitation is one of the most heartbreaking tragedies the Biden Border Crisis has created. Since the Biden administration has refused to lift a finger to fix this problem, it’s now up to Congress to put a stop to it,” Grassley said.
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The HHS rule that Grassley is seeking to overturn, finalized in April, codifies several practices that he and his colleagues view as harmful to the safety and wellbeing of unaccompanied migrant children.
These include:
- Lax or optional sponsor vetting
- Refusal to consider a sponsor's criminal record, illegal drug use, history of abuse or neglect, or other disqualifying child welfare concerns
- Refusal to share a sponsor's immigration status with law enforcement
- Weak standards for post-release home studies to determine a child's status or safety once in the custody of a sponsor
- Restrictions on whistleblowers' rights to disclose information on wrongdoing and misconduct in the program to Congress and the HHS IG
Grassley and 45 of his Senate colleagues have introduced the bipartisan CRA resolution to strike down this HHS rule, forcing meaningful reforms to the UC program.
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In December, Grassley led 38 Senate colleagues in a letter condemning HHS's then-proposed rule as "wholly unworkable" and urging the agency to "discard [the rule] and its current practices" or face a resolution of disapproval. However, the Biden administration proceeded to finalize the rule, disregarding these warnings from Congress and the Inspector General about the risks it poses to children.
Grassley has described the exploitation of unaccompanied migrant children as "one of the most heartbreaking tragedies the Biden Border Crisis has created." He has accused the Biden administration of losing tens of thousands of vulnerable kids and handing over many others to abusers and criminals, stating that "since the Biden administration has refused to lift a finger to fix this problem, it's now up to Congress to put a stop to it."
The CRA resolution introduced by Grassley is co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of senators, including Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.V.), Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and several other Republican senators.
This broad support across the aisle underscores the urgency and importance of addressing the issues within the UC program.
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