Key House Oversight panel to review administration's efforts to care for thousands of migrant children detained at U.S. border

Press Release

A key House Oversight panel, led by U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), will hold a hearing Wednesday to ensure the Biden administration is doing everything it can, and has all the resources it needs, to care for thousands of undocumented migrant children who were detained at the U.S. southern border.

The hearing, which will be held Wednesday, June 8, at 11:30 a.m. EDT, comes as Vice President Harris meets with leaders in Central America to discuss possible long-term solutions to stem the surge of migrants seeking to enter the U.S.; and on the heels of an interagency task force report the Biden administration released today that found at least 3,913 children were separated from their parents at the southern border under the Trump administration.

According to the report, 1,786 of those children have been reunited with their parents as the administration works to reunite the remaining 2,127 children with their families as soon as possible.

"What the Trump administration did, in separating these children from their families when they arrived at the southern border, is nothing short of state-sanctioned cruelty," said DeGette, who serves as chair of the House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations panel. "Reuniting these families has to be a top priority for this administration, and we want to make sure they have all the tools and resources they need to do so immediately."

The hearing will give lawmakers a chance to hear directly from the Acting Assistant Secretary at the Administration for Children and Families, JooYeun Chang, whose agency is responsible for caring for migrant children detained at the U.S. border, about the challenges the agency faces and to ensure it has the resources it needs to properly care for the children in its care.

Since taking office, the Biden administration has sought to reverse many of the previous administration's policies and re-focus the federal government's efforts to prioritize the well-being of unaccompanied children when they arrive at the border; and reunite separated families as soon as possible.

"The challenges we face in caring for these children and reuniting them with their families is far from over," DeGette said. "Congress and this administration need to be prepared to do whatever is necessary to put the welfare of these kids first."

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