Westbank Louisiana News

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, has criticized the Biden-Harris administration in a recent op-ed for Fox News. Cassidy argues that the administration's policies have failed to protect migrant children from abuse and exploitation. He links this treatment to what he describes as "failed open border policies," resulting in 500,000 unaccompanied migrant children crossing the border during their tenure.

"The severe issues with [the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)] and the exploitation of children have been documented for years. Unaccompanied children are still coming over the border in record numbers. Yet, there has been no substantive effort by Biden or Harris to fix their open border policies or reform ORR to protect unaccompanied children from harm," wrote Dr. Cassidy. "It is clear Democrats do not treat the border or the exploitation of children as a serious problem that needs to be fixed, but a purely messaging issue they only need to 'prioritize' in an election year."

Cassidy further stated, "Make no mistake, Harris is not an accomplice in the border mess; she is the perpetrator... Less than four years later, it is clear she has failed not only the American people but the unaccompanied children who are being exploited and abused because of her willful incompetence." He added, "The border crisis is Kamala Harris’ legacy. No media spin or rewriting of history will change that."

For over a year, Cassidy has been investigating systemic failures at ORR, which is tasked with caring for unaccompanied migrant children once they leave Department of Homeland Security (DHS) custody and ensuring they are released to safe sponsors. Cassidy claims that Biden-Harris officials have released these children to dangerous sponsors, including sexual predators and individuals with ties to MS-13 gang members.

Recently, Cassidy called on HELP Committee Democrats to hold a hearing investigating ORR and one of its contractors over allegations of sexual abuse involving unaccompanied migrant children.

The DHS Office of Inspector General reported last week that the Biden-Harris administration could not confirm the location or safety of 323,000 unaccompanied migrant children released from government custody.

Cassidy emphasized his concerns about ORR’s prioritization: “My years-long investigation into ORR found that Biden-Harris officials are prioritizing speed over safety when processing thousands of unaccompanied minors crossing the border.” He noted instances where requirements were allegedly removed for checking sponsors' criminal records or verifying their identities.

Cassidy attributes rising illegal immigration rates and subsequent issues with child exploitation directly to policy changes made by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris upon taking office.

"These open border policies encouraged the worst rates of illegal immigration ever recorded," Cassidy asserted.

He concluded by criticizing how these policies put many children into dangerous working conditions: "Many of these children are forced into dangerous working conditions and exploited for illegal labor."

Cassidy reiterated his belief that both President Biden and Vice President Harris have mishandled immigration policy: "Joe Biden and his border czar Kamala Harris are failing to manage the fallout from the crisis they created at the border."