On Wednesday, Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee voted against a resolution introduced by Republicans calling for an investigation into the safety of unaccompanied illegal alien minors who cross the southern border.
Fox News reports that the resolution of inquiry asked for the Biden Administration to turn over a wide range of documents and information regarding the federal response to this particular aspect of the immigration crisis, as the number of unaccompanied minors has skyrocketed on Biden’s watch.
In the fiscal year 2021, over 146,000 unaccompanied minors were seen by border authorities, with another 140,000 being directly encountered. In fiscal year 2020, the total amount was a mere 33,000, less than one-fourth of the 2021 amounts.
However, committee Democrats voted down the resolution, claiming that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has already been reporting the necessary information on unaccompanied minors
“This resolution is completely unnecessary,” said Congressman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. “The minority has had no problem obtaining briefings or information on this issue.”
In response, Republicans accused Nadler and the rest of the Democrats of trying to shield Joe Biden from even more scrutiny and criticism over his handling of the border crisis, as well as hypocrisy compared to the Democrats’ reactions to the more successful immigration policies of the Trump Administration.
Congressman Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) pointed out that “during the Trump administration, committee Democrats held multiple hearings attacking the administration for overcrowded conditions caused by unaccompanied children coming across the southwest border.”
“But since President Biden took office,” Massie continued, “these same Democrats have been silent about the far-worse conditions and the Biden administration’s lack of concern with placement of these children with sponsors in the U.S.”
Included in the resolution were calls for documentation on the health and welfare of most of the unaccompanied illegal minors, including COVID-19 infection rates. The resolution also called for more information on the policies regarding the minors’ placement with sponsors, including the number of minors placed with sponsors who failed background checks, the number of minors who were not placed with sponsors, and all information on the abuse of these minors by their sponsors.
As the resolution was voted out of the Judiciary Committee with an “adverse report” by the Democratic majority, the measure cannot be considered for a full vote on the floor of the House of Representatives.