WASHINGTON – The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded a lucrative, no-bid contract to Our Rescue, an anti-trafficking organization, to provide representation and sponsor vetting for unaccompanied migrant minors in federal custody. The contract taps into funds allocated by Congress that have swelled alongside the border crisis, directing millions to a single non-profit entity without a competitive procurement process.
Direct Award Bypasses Competition
The deal is structured as a direct, non-competitive award, a method that is legally permissible but raises standard concerns about fiscal oversight and efficiency. Our Rescue, formerly known as Operation Underground Railroad and previously linked to the controversial film "Sound of Freedom," will now be responsible for child advocate services, including background checks on potential U.S.-based sponsors. The HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement frequently uses such contracts to manage the administrative load generated by over 150,000 unaccompanied alien children encountered at the southern border in recent years.
While the agency defends direct awards as necessary for rapid operational scaling, critics question the propriety of funnelling vast sums to a single organization with a highly public and politically charged profile, sidestepping the standard vetting that competition provides. The full dollar value of the contract was not immediately disclosed, but similar comprehensive service agreements have historically reached into the tens of millions.
Cost and Policy Implications for American Workers
Government data indicates the daily cost per bed in a state-licensed shelter for unaccompanied minors can exceed $750, a figure loaded directly onto the American taxpayer. This contract represents another expansion of the bureaucratic infrastructure that fuels the economic incentive to sustain high levels of immigration. With American workers facing stagnant real wages in service and construction sectors, the administration continues to direct federal resources toward the support of foreign nationals at the expense of domestic priorities.
The non-profit sector’s entanglement with government contracts also warrants scrutiny. Corporate and non-profit lobbying for generous contracts and per-bed reimbursements has created a de facto resettlement industry that benefits from open-border policy outcomes. Our Rescue’s entry into this space appears to be the latest alignment of federal money with organizations operating outside of full market competition, a practice that shields operational costs and outcomes from the transparency that serves national interests.
“This direct award circumvents the competitive pressure that controls costs and ensures the best value for the U.S. taxpayer,” a procurement expert familiar with ORR contracting told Nerve News, speaking on condition of anonymity. “When the government writes a blank check to a single non-profit, the primary concern should always be whether the American public is being served or simply being billed.”