Republican lawmakers and at least one state attorney general are calling for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to withdraw a rule they fear weakens vetting for sponsors of unaccompanied migrant children and would roll back protections for whistleblowers.
Thirty-eight Senate Republicans led by Sen. Chuck Grassley want the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to withdraw the Unaccompanied Children Program Foundational Rule, which was unveiled in September and purportedly codifies a framework for the care of child migrants who arrive at the border alone. They say it includes provisions that are "alarming, dangerous and potentially illegal."
"This Proposed Rule ignores nearly seven years of oversight conducted by Congress and the Office of Inspector General and reveals chronic foot-dragging — if not total reluctance — when it comes to protecting vulnerable children," they say in a letter to the agency.