U.S. waives FBI reviews at new shelter facilities
The Biden administration is not requiring FBI fingerprint background checks of caregivers at its rapidly expanding network of emergency sites to hold thousands of immigrant teenagers, alarming child welfare experts who say the waiver compromises safety.
In the rush to get children out of overcrowded and often unsuitable Border Patrol sites, President Biden’s team is turning to a measure used by previous administrations: tent camps, convention centers and other huge facilities operated by private contractors and funded by U.S. Health and Human Services. In March alone, the Biden administration announced it will open eight new emergency sites across the Southwest adding 15,000 new beds, more than doubling the size of its existing system.
These emergency sites don’t have to be licensed by state authorities or provide the same services as permanent HHS facilities. They also cost far more, an estimated $775 per child per day.
And to staff the sites quickly, the Biden administration has waived vetting procedures intended to protect minors from potential harm.
Staff and volunteers directly caring for children at new emergency sites don’t have to undergo FBI fingerprint checks, which use criminal databases not accessible to the public.
HHS says those giving direct care are supervised by federal employees or others who have passed fingerprintbased background checks. “In the Emergency Intake Sites, HHS is implementing the standards of care used for children in an emergency response setting,” the agency said.
Dr. Amy Cohen, a child psychiatrist and executive director of the immigration advocacy group Every Last One, noted that HHS requires fingerprint checks of relatives who seek to take in children as part of a vetting process that takes more than 30 days on average.
“Failure to check fingerprints of frontline facility staff exposes vulnerable migrant children to a significant danger of physical and sexual abuse,” she said.
On Sunday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration is committed to transparency and providing access to the temporary Border Patrol facilities as soon as it can.
“We are mindful of the fact that we are in the middle of a pandemic. We want to keep these kids safe, keep the staff safe,” Psaki told “Fox News Sunday.”
She declined to provide a specific date for when the media will get access to the facilities. Republican critics say the current policy is designed to keep the public from being fully informed about what is happening at the border.