During the Biden administration, the Office of Refugee Resettlement faced significant challenges, including the loss of track of nearly 100,000 migrant children, while also increasing funding awarded to contractors responsible for placing these children with suitable adults.
CONTROVERSIAL INCREASE IN FUNDING: OFFICE OF REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT’S DISBURSEMENT OF $6 BILLION RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT LOST MIGRANT CHILDREN
Records obtained by the Functional Government Institute and provided to the Washington Free Beacon revealed that the Office of Refugee Resettlement disbursed over $6 billion in 2021 and 2022 to contractors and nonprofit groups, a substantial increase from $1.7 billion in 2020, to assist in placing approximately 264,000 unaccompanied children with adult relatives or sponsors, but the agency lost track of a significant number of these children. Among the beneficiaries of these contracts was Family Endeavors, a San Antonio-based nonprofit that received a $579 million no-bid contract in March 2021, just two months after hiring Biden transition adviser Andrew Lorenzen-Strait.
CONCERNS MOUNT OVER OFFICE OF REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT’S $1.34 BILLION AWARD TO FAMILY ENDEAVORS AND TROUBLING CONDITIONS AT SHELTERS
The Office of Refugee Resettlement awarded an additional $1.34 billion to Family Endeavors in 2022. Concerns, in addition to The Office of Refugee Resettlement, were also raised regarding other contracts awarded to for-profit companies, such as Rapid Deployment and Deployed Resources, which operated shelters where migrant children reportedly experienced distressing conditions. Critics argue that the increased funding by the Office of Refugee Resettlement failed to address the systemic issues and resulted in wasted taxpayer dollars. Former Office of Refugee Resettlement director Jonathan Hayes expressed dissatisfaction with the approach, stating that the funding increase was both outrageous and insufficient to meet the demands of the crisis. The situation amplifies the need for effective management and accountability within the Office of Refugee Resettlement to prevent further waste, fraud, and abuse, and to ensure the well-being of migrant children.
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