Letter Calls for Full Investigation Into Trump Administration’s $9.2 Million Contract to Abraxas Alliance, Despite Decades of Reported Abuse and Negligence
Washington, D.C. – Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called on the Trump administration to stop the flow of taxpayer dollars to the Abraxas Alliance, which runs juvenile detention facilities that have a decades-long trail of allegations of sexual and physical abuse against children.
“By working with Abraxas, HHS risks subjecting vulnerable children to the horrors of sexual and physical abuse, undermining the federal government’s responsibility to protect and care for unaccompanied migrant children,” Wyden wrote to Department of Justice (DOJ) Attorney General Pam Bondi, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and HHS Inspector General March Bell.
From inappropriate strip searches to rape, there have been dozens of cases that describe a widespread and systemic pattern of perpetrators exploiting their authority to sexually and physically abuse juveniles. Advocates have also warned that unaccompanied children should not be placed into juvenile prison, especially those with no criminal charges and family members asking to be reunited with them.
“It is absolutely unacceptable that Abraxas continues to operate and receives federal taxpayer dollars despite decades of well-documented child abuse and neglect,” Wyden continued. “The continuation of such abuse is completely abhorrent, and I call on the DOJ and HHS to take decisive action to ensure no further abuse can occur.”
The Office of Refugee and Resettlement (ORR) is a child welfare agency that is legally responsible for placing unaccompanied minors in the least restrictive setting possible while the agency works to reunite them with their family. However, lawyers who have met with these children have reported that the detention conditions are horrific, including restrictions on their access to recreation and unlawful limits on calls with family. In August 2025, ORR awarded $9.2 million in taxpayer dollars to Abraxas Alliance, an affiliate of Abraxas Youth & Family Services. During this time period, several migrant teen boys have been sent to Abraxas’ Morgantown Facility where reports of sexual and physical abuse are common.
Wyden has long fought for the protection of children’s welfare. In August 2025, Wyden slammed the Trump administration for greenlighting plans to deport hundreds of unaccompanied children held in government custody. In December 2025, Wyden demanded HHS uphold its obligations to ensure that unaccompanied migrant children in government custody receive the legal services they are entitled to. In February 2025, Wyden demanded ORR stop any improper sharing of sensitive information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that would undermine the care of vulnerable children.
Wyden has called out other examples of abuse and neglect of children in residential treatment facilities (RTFs). In 2024, he released the landmark report, “Warehouses of Neglect: How Taxpayers Are Funding Systemic Abuse in Youth Residential Treatment Facilities.” In June 2025, he released another report focusing on the additional layers of vulnerability experienced by LGBTQIA+ youth in residential treatment facilities. In December 2025, Wyden released draft legislation to reform RTFs to improve care and accountability for children in these facilities.
The text of the letter is here.
A web version of this release is here.
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