Cornyn Grills Secretary Becerra on Biden Admin Migrant Child Abuse Scandal

 During today’s Senate Finance Committee hearing, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) grilled U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra on the Biden administration’s failure to keep track of more than 85,000 migrant children placed with sponsors in the U.S., many of whom have been subjected to labor trafficking. In December, Sen. Cornyn sent a letter demanding the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement overhaul its harmful and negligent policies governing the agency’s treatment of unaccompanied migrant children. Excerpts are below, and video can be found here.

CORNYN: “Any unaccompanied children who come to our border are basically transferred to your care by the Border Patrol, correct?”

BECERRA: “That's correct.”

CORNYN: “And you identify a sponsor for them in the interior of the United States, correct?”

BECERRA: “That's our obligation, yes.”

CORNYN: “And there have been about 400,000 of these unaccompanied children that have come to the United States during President Biden's term of office. Can you tell us where they are now?”

BECERRA: “We could give you information on the vetting process and the sponsors.”

CORNYN: “No. I asked you, do you know where they are now?”

BECERRA: “We can tell you who the vetted sponsors were that received these kids.”

CORNYN: “That’s not what I asked you. I know that you've interviewed sponsors to some extent, although not adequately… Do you have any responsibility for their welfare as you sit here today?” 

BECERRA: “While they are in our custody, we have jurisdiction to provide them with the care that they need.”

CORNYN: “So that's not your responsibility? Is that what you're saying?”

BECERRA: “We don't have jurisdiction...”

CORNYN: “You don't know whether they're being trafficked for sex, whether they're being forced into dangerous jobs or child labor. You don't know whether they're going to school. You don't know whether they're getting the health care they need. You simply don't know… You have a job to do right now. You have about a $1.8 trillion budget, and you have the responsibility for taking care of these children.”