Grassley releases data showing Biden admin placed over 10K migrant children with unvetted sponsors

The Trump administration provided Grassley with the information as part of his oversight investigation and requests, which were largely ignored or stonewalled by the previous administration.

By Misty Severi   |   18 Aug. 2025

Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley on Monday released new data from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which confirmed his concern that the Biden administration placed over 10,000 migrant children with unvetted sponsors.

The Trump administration provided Grassley with the information as part of his oversight investigation and requests, which were largely ignored or stonewalled by the previous administration. 

The data found that HHS' Office of Refugee Resettlement from January 2021 through January 2025 placed 11,488 unaccompanied migrant children with unvetted sponsors who were not their parents or legal guardians. During that same period, the department also declined to conduct home studies for over 79,000 migrant children under the age of 12, including in homes where a study was recommended.

"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. "It’s appalling to prioritize speed and optics over the safety and wellbeing of children. 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.”

The Trump administration has since moved to reform the unaccompanied minor program, including launching an interagency initiative and investigation in February into the suspected fraud and trafficking of the program.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.