Eric Hargan served as the Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services from October 2017 to January 2021. Upon taking office, he immediately served as acting HHS Secretary until January 2018. Hargan defended the family separation policy and later reunification efforts, at one point offering on issues they had with reunification that “this is a classic example of the adage ‘no good deed goes unpunished.’”
Left their role as deputy secretary for HHS when Trump left office in January 2021.
Hargan Called Reports HHS Had Lost 1,500 Children False, Just “Cannot Be Reached.” “A top official at the US Department of Health and Human Services on Monday called reports that the agency has lost nearly 1,500 immigrant children false and misleading. The children are not lost, HHS Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan said in a statement. Their sponsors simply have not responded to follow-up calls from the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), the HHS department that oversees the care of unaccompanied alien or minor children… ‘This is a classic example of the adage ‘No good deed goes unpunished,’’ he said, offering a possible explanation. ‘While there are many possible reasons for this, in many cases sponsors cannot be reached because they themselves are illegal aliens and do not want to be reached by federal authorities,’ he continued.” [CNN, 5/29/18]
In Explanation, Hargan Offered “This Is A Classic Example Of The Adage ‘No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.’” “‘This is a classic example of the adage ‘No good deed goes unpunished,’’ he said, offering a possible explanation. ‘While there are many possible reasons for this, in many cases sponsors cannot be reached because they themselves are illegal aliens and do not want to be reached by federal authorities,’ he continued.” [CNN, 5/29/18]
