East Idaho Times

U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) have led 41 bicameral Republican colleagues in urging President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to address abuses in the administration’s unaccompanied migrant children program. The lawmakers are calling for changes to policies and procedures to end what they describe as a public safety crisis.

In their letter, the senators emphasize the need for the Biden-Harris administration to enhance information-sharing with law enforcement and Congress, fully cooperate with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) child exploitation investigation, and respond thoroughly 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," the lawmakers stated.

According to the letter, more than 500,000 unaccompanied migrant children have crossed the southwest border under the Biden-Harris administration, during which cartel trafficking activity surged an estimated 2,500 percent. The lawmakers also criticize measures taken by the administration that include limiting background checks for sponsors of unaccompanied children, cutting back on familial DNA testing at the border, and decreasing information sharing with law enforcement.

Other signatories of the letter include U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), John Thune (R-South Dakota), Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia), James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), Steve Daines (R-Montana), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), John Kennedy (R-Louisiana), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Mike Braun (R-Indiana), Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), Rick Scott (R-Florida), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama), Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma), Katie Britt (R-Alabama) and Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska). Additionally, 15 members of the U.S. House of Representatives joined in signing the letter.