East Idaho Times

U.S. Senators Jim Risch, Mike Crapo, and Chuck Grassley have led a group of 41 Republican colleagues in sending a letter to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The letter urges the administration to address abuses within the unaccompanied migrant children program and to halt what they describe as a cover-up by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The lawmakers are calling for changes to policies and procedures to end what they refer to as a public safety crisis. They specifically request enhanced information-sharing with law enforcement and Congress, full cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on child exploitation investigations, and thorough responses to all congressional oversight requests.

“The Biden-Harris HHS must stop its cover-up and cooperate with law enforcement and Congress to end this crisis and protect unaccompanied children and the American people,” stated the lawmakers.

According to the letter, over 500,000 unaccompanied migrant children have crossed the southwest border under the current administration. During this period, cartel trafficking activity reportedly surged by an estimated 2,500 percent. The lawmakers also noted that the administration has limited background checks for sponsors of unaccompanied children, reduced familial DNA testing at the border, and decreased information sharing with law enforcement.

The letter was signed by U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, Ron Johnson, John Cornyn, Lindsey Graham, John Thune, Roger Wicker, John Hoeven, Mike Lee, Tim Scott, Ted Cruz, Deb Fischer, Shelley Moore Capito, James Lankford, Steve Daines, Dan Sullivan, John Kennedy, Marsha Blackburn, Kevin Cramer, Mike Braun, Josh Hawley, Rick Scott, Roger Marshall, Tommy Tuberville, Markwayne Mullin; Katie Britt; Pete Ricketts; along with 15 members of the House of Representatives.

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