US Health Chief Must Clarify Misleading Statements On Migrant Child Database - Senators

US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar must clarify potentially misleading statements related to a database purported to track separated migrant families that may no longer exist, Senators Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren said in a letter released on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2018) US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar must clarify potentially misleading statements related to a database purported to track separated migrant families that may no longer exist, Senators Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren said in a letter released on Thursday.

"We wish to understand whether HHS misled Congress and the American public regarding implementation of its 'zero tolerance' policy and the existence of a central database to track and match the parents and children separated by the Administration as part of this policy," the senators said.

In June, HHS and Homeland Security officials, the letter added, said they knew the location of all migrant children and that the information was tracked in a central database. However, a watchdog report found that there was no evidence that such a database even exists, the senators said.

The lawmakers requested Azar to clarify the misleading statements about the central database by November 2.

Earlier this year, 2,600 children were separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border due to a new zero-tolerance policy on illegal immigration put in place by the Trump administration.