RFK Jr Faces Fresh Scrutiny Over Samoa Visit as Migrant Children Deportation Fears Grow
New records challenge Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Senate testimony on his 2019 Samoa trip, while a Democratic senator alleges the Trump administration is planning fast-track deportations of over 500 migrant children.
US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is facing renewed scrutiny after newly surfaced records suggested his 2019 visit to Samoa was linked to vaccine issues, contradicting his earlier testimony to the US Senate that the trip had "nothing to do with vaccines."
According to records obtained by The Guardian, Kennedy's colleague, Dr Michael Graven, informed Samoan officials via email that the pair were travelling to the Pacific island nation on a mission to examine medical records following a "discontinuity in vaccinations."
"We all look forward to the opportunity to be of service to the people of Samoa with our mission," Graven wrote.
At the time, Kennedy served as chairman and chief legal counsel of Children's Health Defense, a non-profit organisation known for its anti-vaccine activism, while Graven was the group's chief information officer.
The newly revealed records have fuelled questions over Kennedy's Senate testimony, particularly as the visit preceded Samoa's devastating measles outbreak in late 2019.
Meanwhile, Kennedy is also facing pressure over immigration-related concerns after Democratic Senator Ron Wyden warned that the Trump administration was preparing to fast-track the deportation of more than 500 unaccompanied migrant children, allegedly bypassing legal protections.
In a letter addressed to Kennedy, who oversees the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Wyden said he had received "credible information" indicating that children from countries including Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Afghanistan were being targeted for expedited removal.
"The new information I obtained leads me to believe that the Department is laying the groundwork for another lawless deportation effort," Wyden wrote, urging an immediate halt to any such plans.
The senator said the move would mirror a failed 2025 attempt in which migrant children were removed from government shelters over the Labor Day weekend before a federal judge halted the deportation flights.
HHS denied the allegations, with spokesperson Emily Hilliard calling Wyden's claims "irresponsible fearmongering."
"There are no plans to target these children," she said, adding that the administration's priority is to identify parents or legal guardians and ensure children are placed with properly vetted sponsors.
Wyden argued that many of the children have been in US government custody for more than 180 days and may lack sponsors because their parents remain abroad, are deceased, or fear coming forward due to immigration enforcement.
The renewed controversies place Kennedy at the centre of debates over both public health and immigration, as critics question his handling of vaccine-related issues and his department's role in protecting vulnerable migrant children.
