Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa called for an investigation by federal law enforcement agents into the trafficking of migrant children in an explosive letter sent Tuesday to Homeland Security Secretary (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray.
According to a statement released by his office, Grassley is sounding the alarms after reviewing “legally protected whistleblower disclosures, including Health and Human Services records tracking interactions with unaccompanied alien children who entered at the Southern border and who were eventually placed with often-poorly vetted sponsors.”
“My office is working diligently with whistleblowers to identify as many missing children as possible, in hopes they can be found and saved,” Grassley said in his letter to Mayorkas and Wray. “I expect the cooperation of DHS, as well as the full cooperation of HSI, FBI, HHS, and any NGOs involved, in this critical mission. It is our moral duty to do all we can to rescue children who may have endured sexual abuse or forced labor.”
Grassley’s letter summarizes several instances of potential human trafficking and vetting failures. “It is accompanied by a detailed packet to law enforcement containing specific and sensitive information to further substantiate Grassley’s concerns and assist law enforcement in locating and recovering children placed in dangerous situations,” reads the statement from Grassley’s office.
The senator wrote that the full contents of his message to Mayorkas and Wray had to be “withheld from the public at this time to prevent any potential criminal actors from learning
