(Patriot.Buzz) – Following a concerning admission with consequences for national security, the Biden administration’s immigration policies are under scrutiny due to a significant increase in unaccompanied children crossing the southern border without thorough checks.
Released by the House Judiciary Committee, the interim report points out the administration acknowledged not screening these minors for gang affiliations.
According to testimony by Refugee Resettlement director Robin Dunn Marcos, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) does not screen these children for gang tattoos or check for criminal records in their home countries.
Dunn Marcos was asked, “So ORR does not request the criminal record in the home country from the consulate?” to which she replied, “We do not.”
She also acknowledged the lack of a system to track gang affiliations among minors within the ORR.
She was further questioned, “Do you have a system or a database to track gang affiliation or gang vulnerable UACs for ORR?” “Not that I’m aware of,” she responded.
The report criticizes HHS for not taking adequate steps to ensure that minors with potential gang ties are not released into the community.
This concern is heightened by the 2022 case of Kayla Hamilton, a 20-year-old who was brutally murdered by a 17-year-old gang-affiliated illegal immigrant from El Salvador.
U.S. authorities had not identified his gang affiliations despite visible tattoos and a previous arrest in El Salvador linked to the MS-13 gang.
The Judiciary Committee also found that HHS had falsely claimed to have audited Hamilton’s murder.
Furthermore, under Secretary Xavier Becerra, HHS had lessened background checks for potential sponsors, which puts these minors at risk of being exploited and placed in hazardous conditions.
The report also highlights a drastic rise in unaccompanied minors entering the U.S. illegally, with figures reaching 137,275 in fiscal year 2023.
Data indicates that almost 70% of these minors were 15 years old or older, with boys making up 61% of the total.
This report gains additional relevance following the recent arrest of a 23-year-old Salvadoran illegal immigrant suspected of raping and murdering Rachel Morin, a mother of five, last year.
This individual is also linked to other serious crimes, including a home invasion, the assault of a nine-year-old girl in Los Angeles and a murder in El Salvador.
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