HHS Won't Confirm to Checking Citizenship Status of UAC Sponsors

Press Release

Congressman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) received a letter from Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell this week that fails to confirm that the Obama Administration is verifying the citizenship status of individuals before placing unaccompanied alien children (UAC) with them. More than 1,200 UAC were relocated to Louisiana between January and July of this year.

HHS says sponsors are usually parents, relatives, or family friends who can care for children while their immigration cases proceed. Sponsors must agree to make the child available for all immigration proceedings. They are also required to notify the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) of any address changes.

AP also reported that a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official said about 70 percent of immigrant families the Obama Administration released into the U.S. failed to appear at federal immigration offices for follow-up appointments.

Dr. Cassidy released the following statement:

"The Obama Administration's strategy seems to be to allow the children to stay in the U.S. while confusing the American public. Secretary Burwell's letter acknowledges that family members have priority in receiving the child and that they are told to bring the child in for court proceedings. Reality is, if the child is here illegally, most likely the family is too. There's apparently no mechanism to assure the child's appearance at the court date, which is to say the family here illegally will continue to live beyond the reaches of the law. The Administration needs to be honest with the American people."

On July 17, 2014, Reps. Cassidy, Fleming, Boustany, McAllister sent a letter to Sec. Burwell requesting information on the impact of the border crisis on the state of Louisiana. The letter was in response to reports that the Obama Administration has been transferring illegal immigrants into Louisiana.

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