by Ben Whedon at Just the News
A scathing report from the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General has found that the Biden administration failed to properly take care of migrant children at processing centers amid a massive influx of arrivals at the southern border and, in some cases, released migrant children to sponsors without proper screenings.
The study focused on the emergency intake site (EIS) established at Fort Bliss, Texas. It found that “operational challenges within [Office of Refugee Resettlement] and at this EIS hindered case management, which raises concerns related to children’s safe and timely release from ORR care.”
Moreover, it highlighted concerns from EIS which state that “the facility’s rushed opening impeded ORR’s ability to bring in experienced case managers and provide them with adequate and timely training.” The lengthy time between status updates that ensued, in some cases weeks at a time, prompted “many children to experience distress, anxiety, and in some cases, panic attacks.”
An alarming section of the report revealed that the ORR issued guidance to speed up processing times, but in so doing removed safeguards during the sponsor screening process. “Although the purpose of the guidance was to reduce delays, the removal of these safeguards may have also increased children’s risk of release to unsafe sponsors,” the IG continued.
Moreover, the report identified instances in which…
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