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AMSTERDAM, NY—Congressman Paul D. Tonko today questioned JooYeun Chang, Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during a hearing in the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations examining the ongoing efforts by the Biden Administration to ensure the safety and wellbeing of unaccompanied children at the U.S. border.

Watch Rep. Tonko’s full remarks HERE or read statement as prepared below:

BRIEF REMARKS

As the Biden Administration works to address the well-being of the unaccompanied children in its care, we cannot forget that we are still dealing with the fallout of the previous Administration’s actions. 

A report released this week by the Interagency Task Force on the Reunification of Families found that more than 3,900 children were separated from their families as a result of the Trump Administration’s “zero tolerance” policy.  The results of that cruel policy were devastating and the repercussions are still being felt by all involved.

QUESTIONS

A September 2019 HHS Office of Inspector General report found that while all unaccompanied children have experienced some type of trauma, those children who were unexpectedly separated from their parents exhibited “more fear, feelings of abandonment, and post-traumatic stress” than other children in ORR’s care. 

• Ms. Chang, you were not involved in that policy, but you have devoted your career to child welfare.  What can you tell us about the effects of the trauma those children experienced and likely continue to struggle with?

This Committee's investigation last Congress found that career HHS staffers were sounding the alarm about family separations and imploring HHS’s political leadership not to allow it to happen, but those warnings were not heeded.

• Ms. Chang, can you tell us what effect that policy and that whole era had on the morale of HHS employees who have dedicated their careers to the welfare of these children? And how is the Administration working to repair that relationship and empower these civil servants?

Finally, I’d like to turn to the effects on ORR care providers.

The September 2019 HHS OIG report found that the family separation policy made the jobs of ORR providers more difficult.  One program director interviewed said, “We’re [seen as] the enemy.”

• Ms. Chang, can you speak about the lasting impact that the family separation policy had on ORR care providers and what the Biden Administration is doing to rebuild trust in ORR?

It is clear that thousands of children and families continue to live with the pain of that terrible policy.  I appreciate all the work that the Biden Administration and civil servants across the government are doing to correct those injustices, and learn from the mistakes of that failed policy.

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