For Immediate Release:
June 24, 2022
Department of Health and Human Services Affirms Government Accountability Project Clients’ Disclosures of Unsafe Conditions Inside Emergency Intake Sites
WASHINGTON—On Wednesday, June 22nd, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General released a report affirming the disclosures of several clients of the Government Accountability Project, federal employees who volunteered on detail at various Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Emergency Intake Sites (EIS), finding that ORR did not adequately safeguard unaccompanied children from COVID-19 at these temporary facilities.
Specifically, the OIG “found that these facilities lacked: (1) procedures for COVID-19 testing of children, employees, and volunteers; (2) measures to protect against the spread of COVID-19; and (3) procedures to report required testing and results to ORR and State and local health entities.” Additionally, the report notes that “ORR did not have a process in place for widely disseminating the guidance and frequent updates to appropriate staff at the EISs.”
The OIG report also corroborates a critical aspect of the mismanagement and chaos our clients experienced during their detail, stating “ORR contracted with several organizations that had little or no experience providing shelter and services to children, and the contracts did not contain adequate details about COVID-19 protocols.”
The report notes that complaints about the EISs which prompted the investigation included those of staff at the facilities. This underscores the value of protecting whistleblowers like our clients, especially as the OIG found that “ORR did not effectively monitor facilities to ensure compliance with guidance on COVID-19 testing, mitigation, and reporting requirements.”
To date, Government Accountability Project has made four formal disclosures of abuses at EISs to OIG and the Congress. The first three can be found here and the fourth, here.
Dana Gold, Government Accountability Project’s Senior Counsel stated:
“This report of the OIG confirms what our clients brought to light through their whistleblower disclosures last year: that ORR mismanagement resulted in dangerous conditions for children, staff, and communities by fomenting hotbeds of COVID-19 contagion. While we welcome this and other OIG investigations into the ORR EISs, it is incumbent on HHS to assure the public that these failures have been remedied. We call on Congress to continue its monitoring of HHS operations to ensure that no more children will be harmed by subpar operations at reception sites.”
Contact: Andrew Harman, Communications Director
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 457-0034 x156
Government Accountability Project
Government Accountability Project is the nation’s leading whistleblower protection organization. Through litigating whistleblower cases, publicizing concerns and developing legal reforms, Government Accountability Project’s mission is to protect the public interest by promoting government and corporate accountability. Founded in 1977, Government Accountability Project is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.