Worthy Christian News > U.S. Politics > Biden-Harris Administration Knew of “Dramatic” Rise in Illegal Child Labor But Did Nothing to Prevent It, Obstructed Senate Investigation

Biden-Harris Administration Knew of “Dramatic” Rise in Illegal Child Labor But Did Nothing to Prevent It, Obstructed Senate Investigation

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A detailed report by the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) published this month states that the Biden-Harris administration has been aware of a recent “dramatic” increase in illegal child labor among migrant children but has taken no meaningful action to prevent it. Moreover, the report asserts the Biden-Harris administration has failed to cooperate with state and local investigations into the exploitation and trafficking of unaccompanied migrant children (UCs) and has even obstructed congressional oversight of the issue.

The report follows a formal investigation launched by Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana GOP Senator and Ranking Member of HELP, into the treatment of UCs and the record high levels of illegal child labor under the Biden administration. The report will not be easily dismissed as party political hackery as, among other things, Cassidy was one of just seven GOP senators who voted to impeach President-elect Trump following the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot.

Cassidy launched the HELP investigation after reports began to come in early last year of a “disturbing” rise in illegal child labor to levels not seen in about 100 years. “This was coupled with the fact that a record number of unaccompanied children (UC) began crossing the southern border beginning in March 2021, a trend that has continued to this day,” the HELP report explains.

Placing the blame for the crisis “squarely” on the Biden administration, the investigators found that “top administration officials knew about the dramatic increase in illegal child labor, but took no meaningful steps to prevent its occurrence.” Indeed, the report says: “Tens of thousands of UCs were sent to emergency facilities that were not state licensed, had poor living conditions, and provided little to no educational or mental health services or outdoor recreation activity.”

Moreover, the administration is accused of refusing to cooperate with the HELP investigation. “The Biden-Harris administration is also failing to cooperate with state and local investigations into the exploitation and trafficking of UCs,” the report says.

“The Biden-Harris administration also obstructed congressional oversight,” the report continues. “When Ranking Member Cassidy sent a number of letters to HHS demanding answers on its failures to protect UCs from harm, the agency routinely took months to respond and refused to answer the specific questions asked. Further, HHS purposefully chose to not comply with nearly every document request and sought to block its contractors from sharing information with the Committee, including refusing to produce contracts HHS is required to produce under federal law,” the report attests.