In a shocking revelation, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has unveiled internal documents from the Biden administration's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), suggesting that the department knowingly placed two unaccompanied migrant children in a household linked to the infamous MS-13 gang.
The documents were procured through whistleblower revelations from former HHS Unaccompanied Children (UC) program staff.
As reported by Gateway Pundit, Grassley, a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and co-chair of the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus, also disclosed a referral he made to federal law enforcement. This referral contains evidence hinting at possible child trafficking within the HHS' UC program.
"HHS, Congress and the American people must face the facts: HHS' UC program has glaring defects that are harming innocent children," Grassley stated. He further expressed his concern about the records, saying, "The records I'm releasing today are the kind the government fights tooth and nail to withhold from the public, and they ought to send a chill up every person's spine."
Grassley vowed to continue his fight until the UC program is rectified and HHS and its contractors respond fully to his oversight requests. He also pledged to do everything within his power to ensure federal law enforcement thoroughly investigates the situation for the sake of the lost and abused unaccompanied children.
The press release revealed that on September 3, 2021, an HHS UC staff member attempted to intervene in the transfer of a female unaccompanied minor to a sponsor who had previously been romantically involved with an MS-13 gang member. Despite the staff member's concerns, HHS officials dismissed the MS-13 connection and transferred the girl to the flagged sponsor the following day.
The staff member made repeated attempts to prevent the sponsor's unaccompanied minor son from being sent to the same household, given that the boy's father was a confirmed member of the MS-13 gang and had served a lengthy prison sentence for gang-related crimes. However, HHS again dismissed the staff member's warnings and transferred the boy.
These records substantiate whistleblower statements made during a Senate roundtable this week. The whistleblower who raised concerns about the MS-13-related sponsors was removed from the case, her credentials were revoked, and she was escorted off her work site by a senior HHS official shortly after speaking out in September 2021.
On January 23, 2024, Grassley sent a referral packet to the FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) citing HHS UC records indicating potential labor and sex trafficking. The referral was supported by government files related to thousands of unaccompanied children processed through the Pomona, California Emergency Intake Site (EIS) and traced cases of possible trafficking across the country.
The referral detailed several cases where unaccompanied minors, mostly from Central America, were sent to households with poorly-vetted and otherwise suspicious sponsors. In one instance, more than 50 unaccompanied minors were sent to the same address. Many sponsors submitted seemingly fraudulent documents in an attempt to prove their relationship with the children they acquired.
As a result of the referral, DHS has been in contact with Grassley's office. However, the FBI has yet to provide substantive updates on Grassley's referral. This lack of response raises questions about the seriousness with which federal law enforcement is treating these allegations and the safety of unaccompanied migrant children under the care of the HHS.
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