HHS Chief Defends His Agency’s Handling of Children Who Entered US Illegally

A congressional hearing focused on 323,000 children who have dropped off the radar since being placed with sponsors.

Unaccompanied migrant children, ranging in age from 3 to 9 years old, sit inside a playpen at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility in Donna, Texas, on March 30, 2021. Dario Lopez-Mills/AP Photo/Pool

In testimony before a congressional subcommittee, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra denied that 323,000 unaccompanied minor children who entered the country illegally are unaccounted for.

Becerra testified on Nov. 20 before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement about his department’s Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).