Norma J. Torres | Official U.S. House headshot
Norma J. Torres | Official U.S. House headshot
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) today issued the following statement on the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) internal audit of the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s (ORR) sponsor vetting and placement process for unaccompanied minors:
“After fully reviewing HHS’ audit of the ORR, I am deeply troubled by its findings. As someone who came to the United States as a child, I know firsthand how crucial it is for minors to have a secure, welcoming place to live when they arrive in our country.
“According to the report, ORR sent 344 migrant children to live with non-family members hosting more than two unaccompanied minors. In over 13 percent of these cases, HHS was unable to contact the child or the sponsor. With child labor on the rise, I am concerned that this reported lack of oversight may give way to increased exploitation and trafficking of migrant children.
“To ensure migrant children receive the safety and dignity they deserve, HHS must exercise thorough oversight of ORR. I appreciate that HHS has already taken steps to combat the exploitation of unaccompanied minors, including launching a new Program Accountability team within ORR that will focus on preventing this abuse. Having worked closely with ORR in the past and visited their temporary Emergency Intake Site at the Pomona Fairplex on a weekly basis, I call on ORR to learn from the report’s findings and strengthen protections for unaccompanied minors. I look forward to receiving regular updates from ORR and will continue to monitor their progress.
“It is my goal that U.S. policy ultimately seeks to address the root causes of migration. Due to political violence and corruption in their home countries, children from Central American countries are forced to risk their lives to migrate to the United States in search of a better future. We must ensure that Central Americans have the opportunity to thrive in — rather than flee from — their home countries.”
Issues: Immigration, Local Issues
Original source can be found here.
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