Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Thursday defended the Office of Refugee Settlement amid calls for the head of the division to step down after reports that he tried to stop illegal immigrant minors from getting abortions.
Azar was asked during a meeting with reporters about whether the head of the office, Robert Lloyd, was following the law. Azar didn’t mention Lloyd’s name but said that the office, which assists in the relocation and well-being of refugees, has a tough job.
“The Office of Refugee Resettlement has a very difficult task,” Azar said. “We are charged with these young women and men who are minors. They are put into our charge and custody and we have to look after their physical and mental well-being as well as any pregnant children the well-being of their unborn children.”
He added that HHS is doing the best it can to comply with any legal obligations.
Lloyd recently said during a deposition that he developed an “ad hoc” strategy to block young women in the office’s custody from getting an abortion.
A federal judge demanded that an illegal immigrant minor in the office’s custody receive an abortion despite attempts from Lloyd to block access to one.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., has called for Lloyd to resign. Murray said he is “nothing less than a threat to their safety and should step down immediately.”
