Becerra’s Gubernatorial Bid Shadowed by Migrant Children Scandal

Xavier Becerra’s Democratic gubernatorial campaign faces mounting scrutiny over the controversial handling of unaccompanied migrant children during his tenure as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The scandal emerged amid an unprecedented surge of unaccompanied minors at the southern border, when overcrowded facilities forced thousands of children into makeshift shelters and tent cities across major metropolitan areas. These conditions created intense political pressure on the Biden administration to move children quickly through the system.

According to a February 2023 New York Times investigation, Becerra reportedly pushed staff to accelerate the placement of children with sponsors, allegedly at the expense of established safety protocols. “If Henry Ford had seen this in his plants, he would have never become famous and rich. This is not the way you do an assembly line,” Becerra told HHS staff, according to the Times report.

The investigation revealed that nearly a dozen officials within the HHS division responsible for unaccompanied migrant children had expressed concerns about increasing child labor trafficking. One official described the system as “one that rewards individuals for making quick releases, and not one that rewards individuals for preventing unsafe releases.”

Data obtained by the Times showed that over a two-year period, more than 85,000 children became untraceable to federal officials after placement with sponsors. When questioned about these “missing children,” Becerra disputed the characterization, arguing the minors were with vetted sponsors who simply didn’t respond to follow-up calls. He and his supporters also noted that HHS’s legal authority over a child ends once they are placed with a sponsor.

A Becerra campaign staffer defended the former secretary, suggesting he inherited a broken immigration system from the Trump administration and worked diligently to address its shortcomings.

However, official oversight reports have validated many of the initial concerns. In February 2024, HHS’s Office of Inspector General identified significant gaps in sponsor screening and follow-up procedures. The investigation found missing documentation for required safety checks in 16% of sampled case files and numerous instances of untimely or undocumented follow-up calls.

Even more damning, a 2022 HHS OIG report had already determined that guidance issued to speed releases had removed critical safeguards, potentially increasing the risk of children being placed with unsafe sponsors.

Congressional oversight intensified as the scandal unfolded. House Republicans subpoenaed Becerra and HHS for documents related to “vetting, screening and monitoring” of sponsors for migrant children. Though the department produced hundreds of pages of documents, Republican lawmakers deemed them unresponsive to their concerns, leading to contentious hearings on Capitol Hill.

The dispute never reached a definitive resolution through congressional channels, with committees continuing to claim incomplete document production even as Becerra was repeatedly called to testify. Ultimately, the watchdog reports provided the clearest assessment of the government’s failures in reliably tracking unaccompanied minors entering the United States.

The scandal’s political implications have been substantial. “Xavier Becerra failed those kids, failed the country, and failed to do his job,” an anonymous Democratic Party campaign strategist told Fox News Digital. “Becerra was horrible at HHS, and thinking he can become Governor of California after that record is delusional. Voters deserve better than a recycled cabinet secretary who couldn’t manage his own department.”

As Becerra attempts to gain traction in California’s gubernatorial primary, the unresolved questions surrounding the migrant children crisis continue to cast a shadow over his candidacy, raising serious concerns about his administrative capabilities and judgment during a critical humanitarian challenge.