White House officials 'livid' with HHS about NBC News report migrant kids were held on buses overnight
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The White House officials pressured HHS to conduct a speedy investigation of the incident and to find out how many children waited and for how long.
May 18, 2021, 4:57 PM EDT
By Julia Ainsley and Dasha Burns
WASHINGTON — Senior officials at the White House were “livid” with Health and Human Services officials on a call the two parties held on Friday to discuss NBC News reporting that migrant children had been held on buses overnight, and in at least one case four days, before being sent to their family members, according to a person familiar with the call and an administration official.
The White House officials pressured HHS to conduct a speedy investigation of the incident and to find out how many children waited and for how long and whether the contractor responsible for busing the children was to blame for the delay.
The call was the latest incident in which the Biden White House has expressed frustration with HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra’s handling of the influx of unaccompanied migrant children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Politico previously reported that the White House pressured Becerra to speed up his agency’s intake of children in order to stop overcrowding in Border Patrol facilities.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/white-house-officials-livid-hhs-about-nbc-news-report-migrant-n1267840
