Westbank Louisiana News

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, delivered remarks during a roundtable titled “The Exploitation Crisis: How the U.S. Government is Failing to Protect Migrant Children from Trafficking and Abuse.” Since 2023, Cassidy has been investigating what he describes as the Biden administration’s failures to protect unaccompanied children from forced labor and human trafficking.

In his prepared speech, Cassidy thanked Senators Grassley and Johnson for their participation in the roundtable. He criticized President Biden's immigration policies, stating that when Biden took office, illegal immigration rates were at their lowest in nearly 50 years. According to Cassidy, the decision to overturn policies from the Trump administration led to an increase in illegal immigration rates.

Cassidy highlighted that over 500,000 unaccompanied migrant children have crossed the southern border under Biden's administration. He pointed out that after exempting these children from Title 42 regulations, there was a historic surge in their numbers.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) is responsible for caring for unaccompanied children once they cross the border and ensuring they are released to safe sponsors. However, Cassidy claimed that ORR was overwhelmed by the surge of migrant children and sent them to emergency care facilities with undertrained staff and poor living conditions.

Cassidy alleged that ORR staff were directed to prioritize speed over safety in releasing children to sponsors. He cited HHS Secretary Becerra’s push for faster results as an example of this prioritization. To expedite processes further, ORR reportedly weakened its oversight of sponsor vetting programs by making many vetting requirements optional.

According to Cassidy’s investigation into case files from March 2021 to April 2021, background checks were not conducted on 54 out of 342 cases before sponsors took custody of children. This lack of thorough vetting allegedly resulted in children being released into dangerous environments where they faced exploitation for illegal labor and suffered serious injuries.

Cassidy criticized what he sees as a failure by the Biden administration to protect these vulnerable children adequately. He mentioned efforts by members of Congress urging reforms within ORR but noted that many failed policies have been codified into agency regulations instead.

As ranking member of the HELP Committee overseeing ORR and child labor laws, Cassidy stated he has been investigating since 2023 but has faced resistance from federal agencies and private entities involved with sponsor vetting processes. He described this lack of transparency as an effort by the administration to avoid scrutiny during an election year.

Cassidy emphasized that protecting exploited children should be a bipartisan issue requiring urgent action from President Biden to secure borders and reform ORR procedures effectively.

He concluded his remarks by thanking witnesses who came forward during the roundtable discussion.

For more news and updates from HELP Republicans, visit their website or follow them on Twitter at @GOPHELP.

___