Note: The following is the weekly Wicker Report from U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker. Any opinions expressed here are that of the author and not necessarily that of this publication.
Administration Waters Down Child Migrant Care Rules
At the end of September, Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprising announcement: She would pay a visit to the southwest border in Arizona. She has avoided that area of the country for much of her time in the White House, and Americans are justifiably suspicious of her sudden eagerness to go there now.
I have traveled to the border to understand the facts on the ground, and I have encouraged other federal officials to witness the situation with their own eyes. But it is clear that politics, not policy, is driving the vice president’s overdue trip. She has discovered that many people view her border management as a failure, and she is scrambling to flip that narrative. It is unlikely that one photo op will gloss over the consequences of her neglect.
Migrant Children Endangered
The president and vice president have allowed border crossings to reach record highs, triggering a cascade of costly and even deadly situations nationwide. The most harmful effects have consistently fallen on the vulnerable. Tragically, since 2021, over 500,000 unaccompanied children have crossed the border.
After taking office, the administration increased the number of unaccompanied minors allowed into the country, creating an influx it could not handle. When the United States grants entry to a migrant under the age of 18, officials at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) try to match the child with an adult sponsor. Ideally, this sponsor is a parent or relative who can care for the child and help them transition to life in America.
When it raised these migrant limits, the administration increased the need for adult sponsors. Ever since, it has been looking for ways to fulfill that demand. One option would have been to lower the caps, allowing the federal government to grant entry only to persons for whom it could properly care.
Sen. Roger Wicker
Instead, the White House has been so committed to opening the border that it chose a far more dangerous route. Biden and Harris sought to expand the pool of potential adult caretakers by relaxing the child safety standards used to vet sponsors. Of all the areas to deregulate, this is the worst.
Under these watered-down child safety standards, officials will no longer have to examine a potential sponsor’s criminal record, current illegal drug use, or history of abuse and neglect. They will not have to factor in a child’s relationship to the adult or consider whether the sponsor applicant is employed or a legal resident. Relaxing these standards leaves the door wide open for these children to be harmed, trafficked, or abandoned.
Border Crisis Comes to Mississippi
In some cases, the child lacks a sponsor and is placed in a group home run by HHS. But because of the incredibly high volume of children entering the country, the administration has housed some migrants in “influx care facilities” (ICF) – sites known for providing substandard care.
This year, the administration considered establishing a 2,000-bed ICF in Tunica County, Mississippi. I joined state and federal leaders in opposing the idea. Opening such a large facility there would have been detrimental to the community, overwhelming infrastructure, health systems, and public services. Ultimately, the administration did not pursue the plan.
Tunica County did not end up having to stretch its resources to handle 2,000 new residents. But the Biden administration should never have felt the need to place children in a situation that was not ready to house them. The human toll is one of many costs inflicted by the avoidable Biden-Harris border crisis. In the U.S. Senate, I will continue holding the administration accountable for this humanitarian disaster and protecting the Mississippi communities it affects.
