Newly released federal data has revealed that more than 11,000 migrant children were placed with unvetted sponsors by former President Joe Biden’s administration between 2021 and 2025, in violation of federal law requiring fingerprint background checks and home safety reviews.
The information, made public by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, includes a letter from the Department of Health and Human Services disclosing that 11,488 children were placed with adults who were neither parents nor legal guardians—and who were never fingerprinted or subjected to criminal background checks, as required under 8 U.S.C. 1232(c)(3)(A). In addition, more than 79,000 children under the age of 12 were sent to homes without the legally mandated home studies, according to the HHS summary.
A copy of the letter and full data report can be viewed here.
The report also reveals that the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the division of HHS responsible for placing unaccompanied minors, allowed over 65,000 “Notices of Concern” to go unaddressed between 2021 and 2024. These notices include reports of missing children, abuse, neglect, trafficking, and suspected ties to organized crime. By law, such notices are supposed to be addressed within 24 hours.
“Today I released HHS data [that] exposes [the] Biden-Harris [administration] [for] placing [over] 11,000 migrant children [with] unvetted sponsors [and] not conducting home studies for [over] 79,000 migrant kids,” Grassley wrote on X. “Thankfully, the Trump [administration] has launched an interagency initiative [to finally] address these issues [and end] the abuse.”
Biden-Harris admin refused 2 comply w my multiple investigative requests for this info NUMBERS DONT LIE Its plain as day the last admin mismanaged the program + put kids at risk
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) August 18, 2025
Grassley also criticized the administration for stonewalling multiple congressional oversight requests. “NUMBERS DONT LIE,” he added. “It’s plain as day the last admin mismanaged the program + put kids at risk.”
According to the report, the Biden administration relied heavily on 14 “emergency influx” facilities to house children during the height of border overcrowding, including a location in Pomona, California, operated by Cherokee Federal. Meanwhile, HHS’ internal watchdog flagged over 1,600 cases of fraud or trafficking involving sponsors—some of whom were parents back in the children’s countries of origin—during fiscal year 2024 alone.
Grassley called the findings deeply troubling. “My oversight continues to expose disturbing evidence that the Biden-Harris administration turned a blind eye to tens of thousands of kids who needed proper supervision and care. It’s appalling to prioritize speed and optics over the safety and wellbeing of children,” he said in a previous story.
He added that while the Biden administration failed to act for years, the Trump administration had now launched a “whole-of-government initiative” to begin addressing the issue as of February 2025.
“I appreciate the Trump administration’s efforts to undo the damage caused by the last administration’s failed border policies, and I’ll continue my oversight of the issue to ensure abuse like this never happens again,” Grassley said.
