Rescue the Fosters w/ Special Guest: HHS Whistleblower - Tara Rodas

Tara Rodas is a trusted leader and world-class training professional. She has been a public servant for 20 years, 16 of
which have been dedicated to serving the Federal Inspector General (IG) community. Tara has demonstrated
excellence in designing and delivering strategic learning engagements. Tara has an extensive background in adult
learning principles, communication strategies, and facilitative methods. She’s a facilitator, trainer, and public speaker.
On 11/16/2022, Tara gave a “TedTalk-Like” leadership presentation for CIGIE’s Annual Leadership Forum: Future
Ready-Leading Change. The full program can be viewed at Gearing Up 2022.
Tara has a master’s degree in Education with a concentration in Instructional Technology and is a graduate of the
American University Key Executive Leadership Program. Her certifications include: Professional Behavioral Analyst
(TTI Success Insights-DiSC); Agile Leader (Six Sigma Global Institute); QuestionThinker & QStorming Practitioner
(Inquiry Institute); Human-Centered Design Practitioner (LUMA Institute); Instructor/Facilitator (FranklinCovey &
Dale Carnegie); Virtual Facilitator (FranklinCovey & InSync); and 5 Moments of Need Designer (ApplySynergies).
Currently, Tara serves the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) as a Program
Manager and Learning Producer in the Leadership & Mission Support Academy where she designs and delivers
learning engagements (virtual & in-person) for the IG community. She serves on the CIGIE Fellows Management
Team, the CIGIE Mentoring Program Pilot Team, and the Leadership Forum Planning Team. Mrs. Rodas facilitates
offsite planning meetings for the CIGIE Executive Council and serves as the lead facilitator for the IG Annual
Offsites. As per request, she facilitates all-hands offsites, executive staff meetings, and specialized learning
engagements for OIGs throughout the community. She also launched the new CIGIE/FranklinCovey Facilitator Team.
Prior to joining CIGIE in 2015, Tara was a Professional Development Specialist at the United States Postal Service
(USPS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) where she served in the Office of the Deputy Inspector General on the
Learning & Knowledge Management Team. Prior to joining USPS in 2003, Mrs. Rodas was a federal contractor. She
worked at USPS HQ in Statistical Programs and worked as a Training Specialist at the United States Department of
Justice where she designed and delivered performance-driven training for the Office of Justice Programs.
In 2021, Tara answered the humanitarian call from OPM to support the US Department of Health and Human
Services’ (HHS) urgent efforts to care for and place children entering the US via the southern border with sponsors in
the US. While serving on detail with HHS’ Unaccompanied Children (UC) Program, she distinguished herself as a
Subject Matter Expert on “red flags” for sponsor fraud and child trafficking. As a result, she was appointed as the
Deputy Director of the Federal Case Management Team at the Pomona Fairplex Emergency Intake Site (EIS) in
Pomona, California. Her efforts directly contributed to children being released to safe sponsors in the US or referred
to HHS’ Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP), HHS OIG, and other Federal Law Enforcement.
On a personal note, Tara is a Freedom Partner with the International Justice Mission and in December of 2022 she
graduated with a Master of Biblical and Theological Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. She serves the global
learning community by participating in the Association for Talent Development (ATD) Forum and facilitating
learning events at ATD’s International Conferences & EXPO - the world's largest event for talent development and
learning professionals. Tara lives in Virginia with her husband, Jorge Rodas.Show more

Email: TaraRodas@protonmail.com
https://tararodas.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/taraleerodas?s=20
Cell: 571-213-3521

2-Page Overview of Allegations & Evidence of Child Trafficking
in HHS’ Unaccompanied Children (UC) Program
Summary
Smugglers and child traffickers are recruiting, harboring, and transporting children to the United States; using force,
fraud, and coercion; for the purpose of involuntary servitude, debt bondage, slavery, commercial sex, and possibly
forced organ harvesting. By exploiting flawed policies and deficiencies in the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services’ (HHS) Administration for Children & Families (ACF) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Unaccompanied
Children (UC) Program, smugglers and traffickers are getting rich while taxpayer money is used to deliver children to
suspicious Sponsors and trafficking rings throughout the United States.
As a result of deficiencies in HHS’ policies, migrant Unaccompanied Children (UCs) are placed with questionable
Sponsors in who are exploiting and victimizing them. Although the causes of the recent surge of Unaccompanied
Children (UCs) is debated, all stakeholders agree one reason migrant children make the perilous journey to the United
States is they are “brought into the United States by human trafficking rings.” (As per HHS’ Fact Sheet).
In June of 2021, I, Tara Lee Rodas, started reporting incidents of smuggling and suspected child trafficking through HHS
Chain-of-Command while I was serving as the Deputy of the Federal Case Management Team (as a volunteer Federal
Detailee) at the Pomona Fairplex Emergency Intake Site (EIS) in Pomona, California. Between 9/5/2021 and 9/13/2021, I
made four protected disclosures: two protected disclosures to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the U.S.
Department of Justice (DOJ) and two protected disclosures to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the United States
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). I disclosed that smugglers and child traffickers - to include a Sponsor
with confirmed Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO) affiliation in the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) Hollywood clique -
were exploiting the HHS UC Program and putting vulnerable children at risk. HHS learned I made protected disclosures
and swiftly retaliated against me. On 9/15/2021, I was taken off the TCO/MS-13 case. On 9/16/2021, I was directed, in
writing, to stop giving detailed case information to law enforcement, to include HHS OIG, Homeland Security
Investigations (HSI), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Then, on 9/21/2021, I was falsely accused of
violating of the code of conduct, I was threatened with investigation, I was escorted off the EIS [by security and the HHS
Federal Field Specialist (FFS)], and my badge was taken.
Background
I have served in the Inspector General community since 2006. I’m keenly aware there is fraud, waste, and abuse in
government programs. However, I was not prepared for the fraud, waste, and abuse I witnessed while serving at the
Pomona Fairplex Emergency Intake Site (EIS) in Pomona, California where I volunteered to help place Unaccompanied
Children (UCs) with Sponsors in the United States. I saw, firsthand, how lack of transparency, lack of oversight, flawed
policies, and deficiencies in HHS’ UC Program resulted in children being placed with suspicious Sponsors and suspected
trafficking rings throughout the United States. HHS is delivering vulnerable children into the hands of unsafe Sponsors
who are exploiting them. Here are the links to three shocking video exposés by Project Veritas: (1) Aug 24, 2021
(2) 11/29/21 (3) 11/30/2022 As an IG professional, witnessing this type of flagrant fraud in a Federal Program is
astonishing. Knowing that children have been, are being, and will continue to be trafficked through the HHS ACF ORR
UC Program has compelled me to come forward in hopes that (1) children can be rescued, (2) bad actors can be
prosecuted, and (3) the UC Program can be reformed.
History of Trafficking of in HHS’ UC Program
HHS, and others, are fully aware there is trafficking in the UC Program. As examples:
• 2014 newspaper article highlighting the failures of HHS to protect minors from trafficking: Overwhelmed federal officials
released immigrant teens to traffickers in 2014 - The Washington Post )
• Senator Rob Portman's opening remarks at the 2016 congressional hearing on HHS placement of migrant children
highlighting how HHS placed UCs in the hands of traffickers: Portman's Opening Remarks-HHS Puts Children in the Hands of
Traffickers
• The 2016 Congressional report highlighting HHS’ failure to protect children from trafficking: Majority & Minority Staff
Report - Protecting Unaccompanied Alien Children from Trafficking and Other Abuses 2016-01-282.pdf (senate.gov)
• The FRONTLINE documentary “Trafficked in America” highlighting how teenagers from Central America were smuggled into
the U.S. by traffickers who promised them jobs and a better life - only to force them to live and work in virtual slavery to
pay off their debt. These teenagers were Unaccompanied Minors placed into the hands of traffickers by HHS: Trafficked in
America (full documentary) | FRONTLINE - YouTube
• August 21, 2021 and October 21,2021 interviews of DHS Whistleblower who exposed how MS-13 and other Transnational
Criminal Organizations are sponsoring children through the HHS UC Program. These interviews show evidence that gang
members are “pinging the TOC Watch List” as they attempt to gain sponsorships of Unaccompanied Children:
o DHS Insider MS-13 (August 2021 interview in the shadows)
o DHS Insider Goes PUBLIC (October 2021 on the record)
• U.S. probes trafficking of teen migrants in August of 2021 U.S. Probes Trafficking of Teen Migrants for Poultry-Plant Work
(bloomberglaw.com)
• August 2022 news article on HHS’ child trafficking operation: https://humanevents.com/2022/08/17/posobiec-bidenbehind-child-trafficking-operation-at-southern-border/
• August 2022 interview of Whistleblower from MVM (the contractor responsible for transporting UCs around the country in
the middle of the night) highlighting how UCs are delivered to Sponsors the UCs don’t know: https://youtu.be/B2IU9FvIJtc
• August 2022 interview with a Central American trafficker describing the horrifying realities Unaccompanied Children face in
the US to include labor trafficking, sex trafficking, and forced organ harvesting: https://youtu.be/ksJkZeHxk1s
• November 29, 2022 press release and shocking video exposé (PART 1) on child trafficking by Project Veritas: U.S.
Department of Health & Human Services Whistleblower Reveals ‘Tax Dollars’ Spent to ‘Put Children in the Hands of
Criminals’; Says Gov’t Complicit Because ‘We Don’t Get Sued by Traffickers’ … Migrant Child: My Female Sponsor ‘Would
Pimp Me to Men’ | Project Veritas
• November 30, 2022 shocking video exposé (PART 2) detailing how traffickers exploit illegal child labor with social security
fraud; minor forced to pay back 'debt': Traffickers Exploit Illegal Child Labor With Social Security Fraud; Minor Forced to Pay
Back 'Debt' - YouTube
• January 19, 2023 video highlighting how at least 50 migrant children were found working graveyard shifts cleaning Midwest
slaughterhouses: https://youtu.be/7haUShzBsrc
• Feb 28, 2023 NYT article “Alone and Exploited, Migrant Children Work Brutal Jobs Across the US” exposing how migrant
children are working and dying in the US. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/25/us/unaccompanied-migrant-childworkers-exploitation.html?smid=em-share
• March 1, 2023 NBC report titled “Feds expand probe into migrant child labor in slaughterhouses” probing how children
from Central America were brought to the US to work
It’s important to note although I have served in the Federal IG Community for 16+ years, I have never worked with staff
(auditors, inspectors, evaluators, investigators, etc.) who combat crimes against children. Furthermore, when I
volunteered to serve with HHS, I had no idea that children were trafficked through the UC Program by force, fraud, and
coercion; for the purpose of involuntary servitude, debt bondage, slavery, commercial sex, and possibly forced organ
harvesting. I believed the UC Program was a family reunification program. Learning about the horrors of child
trafficking - and learning that HHS knows there is trafficking in the program but doesn’t do more to safeguard vulnerable
children - was (and still is) a terrible shock. I submit that HHS has lost control of the UC Program and measures must be
taken to safeguard vulnerable, migrant children who come into the custody of HHS. It is unacceptable for a federal
government agency to place children in the care of questionable Sponsors, traffickers, and Transnational Criminal
Organizations across the country, bypassing state authorities in a secretive manner with limited transparency and
inadequate oversight. This lack of openness, consent, and coordination is unacceptable and leading to the exploitation
of children
Where We Are Today
1. Letter from three U.S. Senators to the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (12/5/2022)
requesting a hearing to investigate my claims: 79E2D68B-E48E-4FC2-8A52-879041840686 (senate.gov)
2. Letter from five U.S. Senators to HHS Secretary Becerra (12/5/2022) requesting a response to my claims : BEEFDA90-4130-
4BAF-BBAA-8F5080C35930 (senate.gov)