Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley released internal U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data indicating that 11,488 unaccompanied migrant children were placed with sponsors who underwent no fingerprinting or background checks between January 2021 and January 2025. The sponsors were neither parents nor legal guardians, contravening federal safeguards for minors processed through HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement. The documents also show that HHS declined to conduct required home-study reviews for more than 79,000 children under age 12, and allowed roughly 65,000 "Notices of Concern"—alerts covering allegations of abuse, neglect or trafficking—to go unresolved from 2021 to 2024. Federal law requires ORR to address such notices within 24 hours. Grassley called the findings “appalling,” arguing the administration prioritized moving children out of federal custody over safety checks. He said his committee would continue oversight and pressed HHS for a plan to clear the backlog and tighten vetting procedures. HHS had no immediate public response to the data release.