Concerns Raised Over Unvetted Sponsors for Migrant Children

Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chuck Grassley, has disclosed troubling information regarding the Biden administration’s handling of unaccompanied foreign children (UACs). According to a recent report, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has been placing these children in homes with adult sponsors who have not undergone proper vetting.

The report indicates that during Biden’s term, over 11,000 UACs were placed with sponsors lacking background checks or fingerprint verification. Federal law mandates that non-relative sponsors must submit to an FBI background check, a requirement that Grassley claims has been overlooked by the current administration.

Grassley expressed his concerns, stating, “My oversight continues to expose disturbing evidence that the Biden-Harris administration has turned a blind eye to tens of thousands of children who need proper oversight and care.” The report further highlights that more than 79,000 UACs under the age of 12 were not subjected to home studies with their sponsors.

The findings also shed light on the overwhelming influx of UACs into the U.S. immigration system, particularly from the southern border. The HHS managed nearly 500,000 UACs from October 2020 to September 2024, a stark contrast to the less than 21,400 they cared for from October 2024 to June 2025.

In a related statement, HHS Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. criticized the approach taken by the Biden administration, calling it “the biggest facilitator of child abuse” in American history because of how UACs are managed. He emphasized that his predecessor prioritized speed over the safety of these children, neglecting necessary sponsor identification measures.