Allegations regarding the handling of migrant children during U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra's tenure have resurfaced, with a senior adviser claiming that approximately 330,000 cases involving migrant children released remain unresolved and that more than 40 children processed by the agency have since died.
John Fabbricatore, an adviser with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement, stated that investigators found "over 40 kids deceased," and others who were victims of sex trafficking, murder, or forced into slave labor. These figures have reportedly been confirmed by other HHS officials.
Investigators have accounted for 148,541 migrant children or former minors, but are still attempting to locate another 330,345 cases, including those who have since turned 18. Fabbricatore, a retired ICE executive who returned to federal service in 2025, indicated that many unresolved cases stem from issues with identifying information and inadequate sponsor vetting, with thousands of fraudulent addresses and names reportedly submitted.
Becerra, currently a leading candidate in the California gubernatorial race, has largely avoided commenting on the allegations. He reportedly departed a press conference in Sacramento on Wednesday without answering questions from reporters.
Campaigns for Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton have begun releasing videos featuring migrant children who allege abuse after being released by federal authorities. One video includes siblings Juana Rebecca Pérez Santay and Antonio David Pérez Santay, who claim they were placed with child traffickers after crossing the border as minors. Juana alleged forced labor and an attempted sexual assault, while Antonio stated he was pressured to pay his sponsor for living expenses and that reporting mechanisms were hidden.
Hilton has criticized Becerra's oversight, asserting that vetting procedures were weakened, leading to children being placed in unsafe situations. "Xavier Becerra deliberately dismantled vetting procedures that should have made sure children were placed in a safe home with a responsible adult," Hilton stated.
Jonathan Underland, a spokesperson for Becerra's campaign, did not directly address the new HHS numbers but accused Hilton of attempting to deflect attention from Trump-era policies and ICE actions. "No matter how many times Steve Hilton chases news cameras, packages his false claims in different press releases, or finds Trump appointees to carry his water, the same facts remain clear: they are doing whatever they can to divert attention from Trump’s hateful policies and [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] militia’s targeting of innocent families," Underland said.
Fabbricatore argued that procedures under Becerra were insufficient for vulnerable children, stating, "When you're a leader, you are responsible for the organization, and to say that you had no oversight on something where you didn't know is a cop-out."
Previous reports, including a 2023 New York Times investigation, highlighted concerns about children being released to unvetted sponsors, with welfare checks sometimes limited to a single unanswered phone call. The Times also reported that Becerra was made aware of concerns about sponsors, but the administration reportedly waited to improve processes until after the reports were published.
Jeff Nesbitt, Becerra's former HHS public affairs chief, defended the former secretary, arguing that the Biden administration inherited a sponsorship system that had been "largely dismantled and destroyed" during the Trump administration. Nesbitt stated that HHS under Becerra rebuilt the network, increased vetting, and expanded facilities.
Nesbitt maintained that the department inherited "a system that was in shambles" and that Becerra's leadership involved rebuilding it. He stated that improvements to vetting and facilities were made incrementally throughout the administration.