Senate Report: Biden’s HHS Placed Thousands of Migrant Children With Unvetted Adults
A new report from the Senate Judiciary Committee has raised serious concerns over how the Biden administration handled the placement of unaccompanied migrant children in the United States. Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) revealed findings showing that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) placed more than 11,000 migrant children with adults who were never properly vetted.
Thousands of Children Placed Without Required Checks
Under federal law, when unaccompanied children are placed with adult sponsors who are not parents or relatives, those sponsors must undergo FBI fingerprint-based background checks. According to the report, Biden’s HHS disregarded this requirement, placing thousands of minors in homes where no such checks were conducted.
The report also noted that more than 79,000 children under the age of 12 were placed with sponsors without the agency conducting home studies that are meant to evaluate living conditions and child safety.
“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,” Grassley said. “It’s appalling to prioritize speed and optics over the safety and well-being of children.”
The investigation highlighted the sheer scale of the crisis. Between October 2020 and September 2024, HHS cared for nearly half a million unaccompanied minors — a surge that strained the system and led to rapid, and in many cases, unverified placements. By comparison, from October 2024 through June 2025, the number dropped significantly to just over 21,000.
Critics say the Biden administration’s approach prioritized quickly clearing children from federal custody rather than ensuring their long-term safety.
Kennedy Blasts Policy as “Child Abuse”
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who took office earlier this year, told Congress in May that the Biden administration’s handling of the issue amounted to systemic child abuse.
“My predecessor was deliberately employing a policy of speed over safety so they waived all of the identification requirements for sponsors,” Kennedy testified. “Sponsors were not required to show valid identification; they were never fingerprinted, so we don’t know if there’s a criminal record. There was no DNA testing, so the claims that they were taking a family member were dubious.”
The Judiciary Committee says it will continue pressing for accountability and reforms to prevent future abuses. Grassley emphasized that protecting migrant children should not be a partisan issue: “We cannot allow government negligence to put children at risk. This is about basic safety and responsibility.”
Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr
