BUTLER COUNTY, IOWA – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is making public Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) data showing the Biden-Harris administration placed over 11,000 migrant children with unvetted sponsors who were not the child’s parent or legal guardian, and did not conduct home studies for over 79,000 migrant children under the age of 12.
The Trump administration provided Grassley the data in response to his oversight requests, which were stonewalled by the previous administration. HHS additionally outlined the Trump administration’s efforts to implement badly needed reforms in the Unaccompanied Children (UC) program.
“My oversight continues to expose disturbing evidence that the Biden-Harris administration turned a blind eye to tens of thousands of kids who needed proper supervision and care. It’s appalling to prioritize speed and optics over the safety and wellbeing of children,” Grassley said. “I appreciate the Trump administration’s efforts to undo the damage caused by the last administration’s failed border policies, and I’ll continue my oversight of the issue to ensure abuse like this never happens again.”
HHS Data Summary:
From October 2020 to September 2024, HHS cared for 468,736 unaccompanied migrant children. From October 2024 to June 2025, HHS has cared for 21,399 unaccompanied migrant children.
Background checks
According to a summary of data provided by HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement, from January 2021 to January 2025, 11,488 migrant children were placed with unvetted sponsors who were not their parent or legal guardian, and who were not fingerprinted or did not receive a background check. Per U.S. Code 1232(c)(3)(A), sponsors must submit to an FBI criminal history check, based on digital fingerprints, if they are not the parent or legal guardian of a migrant child. The Biden-Harris administration disregarded this law and failed to request or receive fingerprints or background checks for approximately 11 percent of migrant children placed with sponsors who were not their parent or legal guardian.
Home studies
During that same period, the Biden-Harris administration did not conduct home studies for 79,143 migrant children under the age of 12, including 1,961 children who were placed in households where a home study was recommended. HHS regulations require home studies before releasing a child 12 years or younger to a sponsor who is not their parent or legal guardian. The Biden-Harris administration ignored this rule and failed to conduct home studies for approximately 10 percent of migrant children who were recommended to have one.
Ongoing reforms
HHS launched an interagency initiative in February 2025 to identify and address suspected fraud, exploitation and trafficking in the program. Specifically, the initiative facilitates coordination between HHS employees, other federal agencies and law enforcement, allowing potential trafficking and criminal activities to be referred to the appropriate investigative body. Last Congress, Grassley exposed the Biden administration for barring HHS employees from communicating with law enforcement, which was verified in a bombshell report earlier this year.
Read HHS’ responsive letter to Grassley and the HHS data summary HERE.
Background:
Grassley has spearheaded efforts to protect unaccompanied migrant children from exploitation and abuse for more than a decade.
Last Congress, Grassley repeatedly warned that the Biden-Harris UC program’s inadequate safeguards, lax vetting procedures and limited inter-agency communication allowed children to be lost or released to dangerous sponsors. Additionally, Grassley held a whistleblower roundtable to examine the abuse of migrant children under the Biden-Harris administration and spearheaded two legislative reforms - one to overturn a dangerous Biden-Harris rule that enabled child exploitation, and another to cut off federal funding to contractors who facilitated sexual abuse against migrant children. Democrats refused to attend Grassley’s roundtable and opposed both pieces of legislation.
This Congress, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General published a report which validated Grassley’s investigative findings and confirmed the Biden-Harris administration lost track of hundreds-of-thousands of migrant children, placed children with dangerous sponsors and restricted information sharing with law enforcement. Grassley also exposed the Biden-Harris administration for ignoring or dismissing over 65,000 reports regarding migrant children, including over 7,300 reports of human trafficking.
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