Susan Rice will step down as President Joe Biden’s domestic policy adviser next month, departing after reporting revealed she oversaw the release of thousands of unaccompanied children migrants into the country, many of whom ended up exploited and working dangerous jobs.
Rice, who served in the Clinton and Obama administrations, will leave her role on May 26, Biden announced Monday in a statement praising her "steady" and "capable" leadership. Rice has overseen Biden’s domestic policy for the past two years, including policies concerning migrant children that have been called into question.
The New York Times reported last week that documents show Rice was aware the administration was quickly releasing unaccompanied migrant children into the country by the thousands. Many of those children ended up working grueling jobs, often for long hours and in dangerous conditions where they worked with chemicals and industrial equipment
The Times report revealed Rice and her policy team failed to act, even as administration staffers called for stricter vetting of the sponsors migrant children were placed with to prevent human trafficking.
"It was maddening," Vivian Graubard, a White House adviser who worked with Rice on migrant child issues, said of the administration's refusal to place more scrutiny on migrant children's sponsors. Five Health and Human Services staffers said they were pushed out of their roles after raising concerns about child labor issues.
Biden's statement announcing Rice's departure defended her on the issue, claiming her work helped the administration "rebuil[d] the broken system of care for unaccompanied children, putting their safety and well-being first and foremost."