Anna Eshoo Digs Into Sec. Becerra Over HHS's Lack Of Protections For Exploited Migrant Children

8 months ago

last week, Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) questioned HHS Sec. Xavier Becerra about the exploitation of children discharged by ORR.

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Transcript

00:00 to move forward. I'll gavel myself down and I will recognize the ranking member for five minutes to

00:06 ask questions. Thank you Mr. Chairman. Mr. Secretary, I think that you know very well that's

00:19 an issue that I've spoken to asking you questions about it for almost a year now.

00:30 And it's the issue of you know the Office of Refugee Resettlement and the children that were

00:38 referenced in the New York Times articles. In fact, you last testified before this committee in

00:47 July of 2023 after the New York Times reported on the I think the well I'm not the only one that

00:56 thinks so horrendous exploitation of children that were discharged by ORR. I asked you at that

01:06 time whether the children referenced in the articles were still being employed illegally

01:11 at dangerous facilities. You said you'd get back to me so I resubmitted my question for the record.

01:17 Seven months later, I mean I know that the department is busy doing things, but seven

01:24 months later I received your response to my questions for the record and what was so obvious

01:32 was that that question that I had originally posed was ignored. There was no answer from you on that.

01:39 I think one of the most alarming aspects of this issue is that ORR employees claimed they faced

01:49 pressure to expedite the release of children at the expense of their safety. Now I've got

01:55 questions about each one of these but I want to get my comments in first. According to the New

02:00 York Times, monthly calls to HHS reporting trafficking and abuse of children increased

02:06 five-fold from less than 50 calls in January of 21 to nearly 250 calls in December of 22.

02:16 I've requested more recent data in my questions for the record but I haven't received any answer.

02:21 Yesterday, I introduced the Transparency for Unaccompanied Children Act to strengthen

02:28 congressional oversight of ORR by requiring the agency to issue timely, public,

02:36 and comprehensive reports on the unaccompanied children's program. And we need you to cooperate

02:45 with us on this because I don't think all is well at that part of your agency. So my first question

02:53 is, and I'm asking it once again, are the children who were profiled by that article

03:01 in the New York Times still illegally employed today?

03:05 Congresswoman, thank you for the question and I know that my team has been briefing your team and

03:13 you on this subject matter and as I've said on many occasions before, it would be nice for me to

03:20 tell you a more direct answer about what is happening to the children who are no longer in

03:24 our care and custody. We don't have jurisdiction over them. If you wish to give us jurisdiction

03:29 over them, that would be fine. But Mr. Secretary, with all due respect to you, wait a minute,

03:33 wait a minute, it's my time, it's my time. Have you worked with the Labor Department?

03:38 Did you ever call them to see what's happened to these children? We have a joint operation.

03:43 A joint operation on what? No answer? Addressing the child exploitation.

03:48 I think you have the responsibility. You are a member of the Congress.

03:51 We answer the questions based on the authorities that we have.

03:54 And our questions are important. I'd like to know what you've done to change ORR's culture,

04:02 to ensure that the agency always puts the safety of children first. What can you tell us on that?

04:10 Certainly I can tell you that the snapshot that you are speaking to back in the early part of

04:16 2021 is not the circumstance you see at ORR today. If you recall, as I've said many,

04:22 many times before, the previous administration had dismantled the ORR operations.

04:27 That's not what my question is. Just answer my question. Have you done anything? Share with us

04:36 what you have done. I think you purport to have done things to change that culture.

04:40 These children fell into a horrendous situation. And I know that the Department of Labor has,

04:50 after they leave you and what you do, but there was so much room for improvement in this.

04:59 So, you know what? Why don't you answer my question in the questions for the record.

05:08 And I'm asking you to commit to working with me on this legislation, because this needs to change.

05:14 I think it's a dark mark on all of us when these failures take place.

05:19 The children. We have to answer to God for them.

05:25 Congressman, I disagree with the way you characterize that.

05:27 I'm asking you to commit to working with us on this and I yield back.

05:31 Thank you. The gentlelady yields back. The chair recognizes the chair for five minutes for questions.

05:35 Thank you very much.

Anna Eshoo Digs Into Sec. Becerra Over HHS's Lack Of Protections For Exploited Migrant Children

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