House Republicans grill HHS Secretary Becerra over migrant children: 'Would not want to be you'

House Republicans grilled Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra connected Wednesday implicit his agency's nonaccomplishment to relationship for thousands of unaccounted migrant children and the process utilized to vet their sponsors amid concerns of exploitation and abuse. 

Speaking earlier the House Judiciary Subcommittee connected Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, Becerra testified astir his department's Refugee Resettlement Office, which is charged with caring for and placement of unaccompanied migrant children.

Republican subcommittee members accused the Biden medication of rushing migrant children retired of HHS custody and into the hands of unvetted sponsors who sometimes exploit and maltreatment them portion not conducting capable inheritance checks. 

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HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra testifies during the Senate Finance Committee proceeding titled "The President's Fiscal Year 2025 Health and Human Services Budget," successful Dirksen gathering connected Thursday, March 14, 2024.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

"How tin you accidental that the No. 1 precedence is the information of these unaccompanied children erstwhile you're placing them successful sponsors' homes that occasionally person had transgression pack affiliations due to the fact that determination are nary due inheritance checks?" Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., asked. 

Becerra said his bureau follows "child payment champion practices" that see "extensive" inheritance checks. 

"No sponsor would beryllium allowed to instrumentality a kid if we person accusation that shows that they are engaged successful transgression activity," helium said. 

Health Secretary Xavier Becerra testified earlier the House Judiciary Subcommittee connected Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement connected Wednesday.  (House Judiciary GOP/X)

Lawmakers, however, said thousands of convulsive transgression amerciable immigrants and unaccompanied migrant children person been released crossed the United States nether the Biden administration's watch.

They cited the execution of Laken Riley, a Georgia assemblage pupil killed by an amerciable immigrant, and the 2022 sidesplitting of Kayla Hamilton successful Maryland by Walter Javier Martinez, who was successful the state illegally from El Salvador. 

Martinez was taken to the ORR arsenic an unaccompanied kid contempt a erstwhile apprehension successful his location country.

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"One telephone to Salvadoran authorities would person confirmed this and an relation with MS-13," said subcommittee Chair Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif. "Instead, Martinez was released into our state with nary questions asked. He has since admitted to 4 murders, 2 rapes and further different crimes."

Other cases see the sidesplitting of 11-year-old Maria Gonzalez, who was recovered by her begetter past twelvemonth sexually assaulted and strangled successful her home.

Her alleged killer, Juan Carlos Garcia-Rodriguez, illegally entered the U.S. from Guatemala successful 2023, but was allowed to enactment successful the state via a sponsor successful Louisiana.

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Migrant children basal successful enactment astatine a "tender-age" installation successful San Benito, Texas successful 2019.   (AP Photo/Eric Gay File)

In the lawsuit of vetting unaccompanied children, the Department of Homeland Security performs that task, Becerra said. HHS vets imaginable sponsors erstwhile the kid is successful its care, helium said. 

"HHS's custodial work and overnight for unaccompanied children done ORR ends erstwhile we spot the kid with an appropriately vetted supervisor," the caput stated. 

Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas., noted that the Biden medication admitted much than 100,000 refugees successful the past twelvemonth alone, compared to 12,000 successful 2020 nether President-elect Trump. 

"Under the Biden-Harris administration, Americans are near down portion the needs of 'new’ Americans are pushed to the beforehand of the line," said Hunt. "Americans are sick and bushed of being treated similar second-class citizens successful our ain country."

When asked what helium would bash otherwise aft 4 years, Becerra failed to reply the question.

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"Do you recognize however this affects the lives of a colonisation that you've placed that is approaching the size of the authorities of Wyoming?" asked McClintock. "Some of them: innocent, defenseless children. Others: pack members who are 17-years-old oregon pretending to beryllium 17."

"Mr. Secretary, erstwhile the past of this medication is written, I would not privation to beryllium you looking backmost astatine what historians accidental astir your tenure," helium said earlier adjourning the hearing.