Emails recently obtained reveal that the Biden administration quickly sought additional space for migrant children as the surge at the border in 2021 strained its shelter resources. An official from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) reached out to contractor Cherokee Federal on August 5, 2021, asking about potential expansions for unaccompanied migrant children at its Pomona, California facility. This correspondence came to light through records shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation by the Center to Advance Security in America (CASA). A subsequent report from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General indicated that many emergency sites, including Pomona, failed to follow federal COVID testing guidelines, primarily due to rapid capacity expansion.
‘The Urgency Of This Request’
The email from the ACF official, marked as “Importance: High,” queried how quickly more bunk beds and other structures could be added, as well as the remaining availability for COVID quarantine space. The official was particularly concerned about when the facility would reach its limit on COVID space. However, the email also contained a deadline for responses set incorrectly for July 5, 2021, which had already passed at the time of sending. This error was identified by CASA Director James Fitzpatrick, who remarked that the confusion further compounded the urgency of the request.
Cherokee Federal replied on the same day, noting it was still finalizing pricing and asked for an extension until August 9, 2021, to gather more information. The company did not comment when approached by the DCNF.
The following day, the ACF official communicated difficulties in reaching the company’s contract manager and indicated that an urgent meeting was necessary to address the increased capacity needs. Cherokee Federal confirmed it was available for a call later that day. Nevertheless, when the contractor requested an extension to August 11 to finalize its responses, the Biden administration denied the request due to time constraints, although they did grant a brief extension until 3 p.m. that same day. Cherokee Federal then sent its cost estimate by August 10, but ACF subsequently required further clarification by August 13. The contractor informed them that it would be late in its reply.
ACF had initially described this whole process as part of a planning effort linked to a potential increase in capacity and related COVID protocols. Fitzpatrick criticized the Biden administration, asserting that it was unprepared for the crisis of unaccompanied migrant children, noting that they were urgently reaching out for assistance with immediate expectations.
‘Rapidly Released To Poorly Vetted Sponsors’
In the context of ongoing critiques, ACF, under the Trump administration, expressed concerns over its predecessor’s management of children under its care during the height of the border crisis when 22,000 unaccompanied children were in custody. They highlighted that these children were often quickly released to sponsors who had received inadequate vetting. Currently, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), a sub-agency of HHS, is caring for about 1,725 children, but in the past year and a half, it has located 157,000 children previously released under the Biden administration, with some having been found in trafficking situations.
The inspector general’s office evaluated 11 sites, including Pomona, and noted that eight did not adequately trace contacts for children or staff who tested positive for COVID. The ORR had previously managed surges but was deemed unprepared for this crisis. Reports revealed that ORR contracted organizations lacking experience with children, and often, the agreements fell short on detailing COVID-19 protocols.
Cherokee Federal operated the Pomona site under a substantial government contract. The facility had a capacity of up to 2,500 children and accommodated roughly 10,000 before its closure in November 2021.
