The House Judiciary Committee has issued subpoenas seeking information about Vice President Kamala Harris' work as “border secretary” amid growing concerns about unaccompanied migrant children.
Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, sent a subpoena to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra on Wednesday amid accusations that the Biden administration is missing thousands of children who crossed the border unaccompanied by a parent or guardian.
“According to new committee estimates, 'border czar' Kamala Harris and the Department of Health and Human Services have lost contact with more than 145,000 unaccompanied alien children after placing them with sponsors, including illegal immigrants,” the committee posted on X. “We are issuing subpoenas to 'border czar' Harris and the Department of Health and Human Services requesting more information about these unaccompanied migrants.”
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House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan said he was targeting Health Secretary Becerra with a subpoena and investigating Vice President Harris' border management. (Getty Images)
According to a copy of the subpoena obtained by Fox News Digital, Jordan forced Becerra to turn over documents “sufficient to demonstrate the number of unaccompanied alien children with whom HHS was unable to directly contact via safety and health phone calls after UAC was released to a sponsor.”
“[A]”Although HHS claims it is unaware of the information the Committee is seeking, it appears to have known about the Committee's specific requests and subpoenas for more than six months and has responsive documents and information in its possession,” Jordan wrote. “Indeed, in conference calls with Committee staff, HHS acknowledged that it understands the Committee's requests.”
Instead of complying with these requests, Jordan argued, HHS “obstructed the Committee's oversight for more than a year, including by disingenuously treating the Committee's request for data on UACs not responding to health and safety calls as separate from the Committee's request for the number of UACs HHS was unable to contact.”
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In an aerial photo, members of the Texas National Guard monitor more than 1,000 migrants who crossed the Rio Grande River from Mexico overnight, Dec. 18, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas. (John Moore/Getty Images)
“Given HHS's continuing obstruction, and to facilitate the expedited production of the materials the Committee seeks, the Committee has no choice but to issue another subpoena to compel production of information regarding the total number of UACs that failed to respond to safety and health calls after being referred to their sponsors,” the subpoena letter stated.
While the subpoena did not directly target Harris, Jordan's action is part of a broader effort by House Republicans to scrutinize the Democratic presidential nominee's performance as President Biden's vice president ahead of the November election.
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Democratic presidential candidate and US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally in Savannah, Georgia, US, 29 August 2024. REUTERS/Elisabeth Franz. (Reuters)
Harris' candidacy has prompted renewed Republican scrutiny of her role in addressing the root causes of mass migration from Latin America, a task entrusted to her early in the Biden administration.
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In addition to the letter and subpoena to Becerra, Jordan's committee is planning two hearings on the “Biden-Harris border crisis”: one in Harris' home state of California on Friday and one in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday.
HHS, when asked for a response, said it doesn't comment on ongoing litigation. Fox News Digital also reached out to the vice president's office for comment.
