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Letter to the Honorable Thomas E. Price, Secretary of Department of Health and Human Services - ICE Actions Against Adults Present in the Country Illegally

Letter

Date: April 12, 2017
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Immigration Criminal Justice

Dear Mr. Secretary:

On March 16, 2017, Henry Sanchez-Milian, an 18-year old Guatemalan national, allegedly raped a 14-year-old student in a bathroom stall on school property in Rockville, Maryland. 1 The Committee has questions about the reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials recently took action against Sanchez-Milian's father, Adolfo Sanchez­ Reyes, who is also present in the U.S. illegally. 2 News accounts have reported Sanchez-Milian entered the country in 2016 as an unaccompanied minor. 3

If this is true, then there is reason to believe the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) had a role in placing Sanchez with adults who were also illegally present in the country. Therefore, to assist the Committee's investigation of the circumstances surrounding this case, please provide the following:

1. Documents referring or relating to Sanchez-Milian's case, including sponsorship application(s) and adjudication;

2. Documents referring or relating to the background checks, criminal history records, or immigration checks conducted on Sanchez-Milian, his sponsor(s), and/or any other occupants of the household where he would be placed;

3. Documents referring or relating to any post-placement services provided to Sanchez­ Milian or his sponsor(s);

4. Documents sufficient to show HHS ORR statistics for FY2014-2017 in the following categories:
a. DHS referrals of unaccompanied minors;
b. Unaccompanied minors placed with sponsors, broken down by family member or other;
c. Unaccompanied minors not successfully placed with sponsors, with justification as appropriate;
d. Unaccompanied minors who "aged out" while in HHS custody and the disposition of those cases; and
e. Unaccompanied minors whose sponsor applications were denied;

5. Documents referring or relating to Departmental resources expended in order to place Sanchez-Milian with the approved sponsor; and

6. Documents referring or relating to travel costs incurred by the U.S. Government for Sanchez-Milian.

Please provide these documents as soon as possible, but no later than 4:00 p.m. on April 28, 2017. The Department should also prepare to brief Committee staff on this matter by May 3, 2017.

When producing documents to the Committee, please deliver production sets to the Majority Staff in Room 2157 of the Rayburn House Office Building and the Minority Staff in Room 2471 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The Committee prefers, if possible, to receive all documents in electronic format. An attachment to this letter provides additional information about responding to the Committee's request. Please note that Committee Rule 16(b) requires counsel representing an individual or entity before the Committee or any of its
subcommittees, whether in connection with a request, subpoena or testimony, promptly submit the attached notice of appearance to the Committee.

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the principal oversight committee of the House of Representatives and may at "any time" investigate "any matter" as set forth in House Rule X.

If you have any questions about this request, please contact Sharon Eshelman of the Majority staff at (202) 225-5074. Thank you for your attention to this matter.


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