He ran the camps. Now he wants to run California.
Submit what you knowThe Record
Xavier Becerra's Department of Health and Human Services was supposed to protect unaccompanied migrant children. Instead, his department rushed children out of government custody without basic safeguards, ignored warnings that children were being sent into trafficking and labor exploitation, and failed to properly follow up after they were released.
Whistleblowers tried to sound the alarm. Becerra's department ignored them and allegedly retaliated against staff who raised concerns. Children were exploited, abused and lost in a system Becerra was responsible for overseeing.
Becerra has never taken responsibility. He has never apologized. And the public still does not have the full truth about what happened to these children.
No record of safety checks
HHS's own inspector general found that 16% of the files it reviewed had no documentation that one or more required sponsor safety checks were completed. It also found that 22% of children did not receive a timely safety and well-being follow-up call, while another 18% had no documentation that the call happened.
Source ↗Warnings ignored
Democratic Senators Alex Padilla and Dick Durbin asked Becerra to answer reports that HHS had been warned children were being released into situations involving labor exploitation and trafficking, but allegedly retaliated against staff who raised concerns instead.
Source ↗DOJ lawsuit over abuse
The Justice Department sued Southwest Key, an HHS-funded shelter operator, alleging a pattern of sexual abuse and harassment of children and failures to prevent, detect and report abuse.
Source ↗Tens of thousands unvetted
According to a Senate Judiciary Committee summary of HHS data, more than 11,000 children were placed with sponsors who were not their parent or legal guardian and who were not fingerprinted or did not receive a background check. It also says home studies were not conducted for more than 79,000 children under 12.
Source ↗Have information? Tell us.
Were you or someone you know released by Xavier Becerra's Department of Health and Human Services to an unsafe or unknown adult between 2021 and 2024? Did you work at one of these facilities or witness children being mistreated, exploited, trafficked or lost in the system?
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