Newly released federal data reveal that more than 11,000 unaccompanied migrant children were placed with sponsors who had not undergone required background checks during the Biden administration, raising fresh concerns over the government’s handling of vulnerable minors amid record border crossings.
According to figures provided by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to Senator Chuck Grassley (R–Iowa), the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) placed 11,488 children between January 2021 and January 2025 with adults who were neither their parents nor legal guardians and who had not been properly vetted. These sponsors were not fingerprinted or subjected to background checks before taking custody of the children.
Grassley, who has long scrutinized HHS’s handling of migrant minors, criticized the Biden administration for what he called a “systemic failure” in protecting children.
“My oversight continues to expose disturbing evidence that the Biden-Harris administration turned a blind eye to tens of thousands of kids who needed proper supervision and care,” Grassley said in a statement Monday. “It’s appalling to prioritize speed and optics over the safety and wellbeing of children.”
Lapses in Required Home Studies
The data also show the administration failed to conduct home studies for 79,143 children under the age of twelve, despite federal rules requiring them in certain cases. Of those, 1,961 children were placed in households where a home study was explicitly recommended—a safeguard meant to confirm the sponsor’s ability to provide safe and adequate care.
Home studies are particularly critical when children are released to sponsors who are not their parents or legal guardians, as they allow caseworkers to corroborate sponsor information and assess potential risks.
Scale of the Crisis
Between October 2020 and September 2024, HHS managed 468,756 unaccompanied children, most during the Biden years. Since President Donald Trump’s return to office in January 2025, HHS has taken custody of 21,399 children as of June, according to the same dataset.
While the agency acknowledged possible gaps in the numbers, officials insisted the information was reported in good faith.
“While the data may not be perfectly formatted or complete in every instance, we are confident it reflects a reliable and good-faith effort to fulfill your request as accurately as possible,” wrote Andrew Gradison, acting assistant secretary for HHS’s Administration for Children and Families, in a letter to Grassley.
Funding Did Not Prevent Failures
Despite $22.5 billion spent by HHS on assistance for illegal immigrants during Biden’s term—$12.6 billion of it for ORR’s resettlement program—the agency and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lost track of thousands of children, critics argue. Many were released to adults whose capacity to care for them was never confirmed.
In February 2025, DHS and HHS launched joint efforts with state and local partners to locate unaccompanied children who may have been left vulnerable to exploitation. At the same time, HHS issued new guidance strengthening sponsor vetting procedures in response to reports that gang members and human traffickers had exploited the system to gain access to minors.
Looking Ahead
Grassley has pressed the Trump administration to fix the lapses left by its predecessor, including addressing the backlog of child welfare cases tied to unaccompanied minors. He pledged to continue oversight to ensure reforms are enforced.
“I appreciate the Trump administration’s efforts to undo the damage caused by the last administration’s failed border policies, and I’ll continue my oversight of the issue to ensure abuse like this never happens again,” Grassley said.
