Letter to the Hon. Alex Azar, Secretary of Health and Human Services - Management, Treatment, and Reunification Efforts of Children in Custody

Letter

Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee today sent a letter to Alex Azar, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), requesting information about unaccompanied alien children in the custody of HHS. Congressman Griffith issued the following statement:

"It is important that children in the care of HHS receive proper treatment. As part of Congress' obligation to conduct oversight on the executive branch, I joined my colleagues in requesting information from HHS regarding this responsibility of the agency. We need to know how many children have been placed in the care of HHS, how they are treated, what procedures are in place to reunite children separated from family members, and what measures are being taken to correct any abuses. I look forward to timely, thorough responses from HHS on these vital questions."

Congressman Griffith is Vice Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

To read the letter, click here.

Congressman Griffith is also an original cosponsor of H.R. 6204, the Families First Act, which would keep families together when they undergo immigration proceedings, as well as provide for more judges and prioritize asylum cases to accelerate proceedings and clear backlogs.