Pallone Requests More Info From Azar on Family Separation

Washington, D.C. – Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar today expressing his enduring grave concerns about the well-being of children currently in the custody of HHS' Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), who were traumatically separated from their parents under the Trump Administration's "zero tolerance" immigration policy.

The letter follows a phone conversation between Pallone and Azar last Friday, when Azar stated his commitment to reunifying the separated families, and Azar's testimony before the Senate Finance Committee this morning where he said that "[t]here is no reason why any parent would not know where their child is located," and that he can personally locate "any child" in HHS' care "within seconds."

Pallone also sent a letter to Azar on June 14 inquiring about HHS's role in caring for the children in custody of ORR and a letter to the Government Accountability Office requesting a full audit to determine what, if any, systems are in place to help separated children reunite with their families.

"I still have many misgivings and questions regarding ORR's process for tracking these children so that they can be reunited with their families," Pallone wrote to Azar. "As I shared with you directly, I have personally met with parents who assert that they do not know where their children are. My experience appears consistent with countless press accounts that depict mass confusion across the system HHS and DHS are using to track these children and reunite them with their families."

In a briefing for Democratic Committee staff on June 21, ORR staff were unable to convey whether a comprehensive database exists to thoroughly track both children and the family members from whom they were separated to ensure eventual reunification. The staff briefing also raised concerns that ORR may not have been made aware of the "zero tolerance" policy prior to its implementation.

Pallone is asking for detailed responses from Azar to a series of inquiries, by no later than July 6, 2018, including:

• Did all family separations stop following the June 20 executive order? Is there a master list of all children in ORR's care due to family separations?
• What exact system does HHS and ORR use to track every single individual child, and does this system identify every child by their name, birth date, parents, and country of origin?
• Who is the primary administration official responsible for managing reunification of these families?
• While many children that come into ORR's care have suffered trauma, these new child refugees have suffered the additional severe shock of having been traumatically torn away from their parents. Has ORR taken any steps to offer special care or treatment to these children?
• When a parent is deported without his or her child, how does HHS ensure that family is ultimately reunited?
• Daily updates, as promised by ORR staff during its June 21 briefing for Democratic Committee staff, on the total number of children in ORR's custody and the number of children in ORR's custody due to forcible family separation.

Finally, Pallone expressed serious concerns regarding the assertion Azar made to him that parents must be in a position to receive their children before ORR can release their children to them and would appreciate additional clarity on that policy, specifically:

• If parents remain in adult Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities throughout the duration of their immigration case, it may be months or even years before these families are reunited. How does HHS or the Administration intend to address these specific situations?

Pallone's letter to Azar is available HERE.