Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Director General of Health and Human Services, has labeled former President Joe Biden’s policy as “the biggest facilitator of child abuse” in the nation.
During a recent congressional hearing, Kennedy expressed that the Biden administration’s approach to the Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) program involves transferring responsibility to HHS for care and resettlement with U.S. relatives.
According to estimates from the inspector’s office, around 291,000 children are reported missing, though Kennedy believes the true number is likely much greater.
Reports indicate that former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra enacted a policy that prioritized the release of UACs, overriding established protections intended to shield these children from trafficking and abuse.
Consequently, a federal investigation revealed that under Biden’s administration, HHS lost track of hundreds of thousands of UACs that were placed with adult sponsors who were not family members.
Kennedy noted, “My predecessor adopted a speed policy for safety, abandoning essential sponsor identification protocols. Sponsors weren’t required to provide valid ID or undergo fingerprint checks, which means their criminal backgrounds remain uncertain. There were no DNA tests to verify familial claims, leaving their relationships questionable.”
Kennedy recounted a troubling case involving a man from Cleveland who obtained custody of a 16-year-old girl, then sought custody of a teenage boy and two other children. “Such occurrences are frequent. One agency placed 592 children with 120 sponsors, with 400 children relocated to a meatpacking town in Kansas,” he pointed out. “The Biden administration had access to the same information but chose inaction.”
Under Kennedy’s leadership, HHS has initiated a criminal task force, which has already led to 500 investigations, with 80 cases having reached court.
Kennedy emphasized the urgency: “We are doing everything we can, but we need assistance from DHS to locate these children. The federal government under Biden has undeniably become the largest enabler of child abuse in our history.”
During Donald Trump’s presidency, significant reforms were introduced to the UAC program, mandating that adult sponsors provide fingerprints, undergo DNA tests to confirm familial ties, and meet income criteria. HHS also takes steps to verify sponsor identities.
“No one is allowed to take a child without proving they are family,” Kennedy remarked.
