{"id":2674933,"date":"2026-10-02T18:22:59","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T22:22:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/checkmate-steve-hilton-corners-biden-hhs-head-becerra-on-missing-migrant-children-in-ca-gubernatorial-debate\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T18:29:37","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T22:29:37","slug":"checkmate-steve-hilton-corners-biden-hhs-head-becerra-on-missing-migrant-children-in-ca-gubernatorial-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/checkmate-steve-hilton-corners-biden-hhs-head-becerra-on-missing-migrant-children-in-ca-gubernatorial-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"Checkmate: Steve Hilton Corners Biden HHS Head Becerra on Missing Migrant Children in CA Gubernatorial Debate"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcheckmate-steve-hilton-corners-biden-hhs-head-becerra-on-missing-migrant-children-in-ca-gubernatorial-debate%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2674933&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>During a California gubernatorial debate, Republican candidate Steve Hilton scrutinized Democrat Xavier BecerraS handling of unaccompanied migrant children while serving as HHS Secretary. Hilton accused Becerra of being responsible for over 479,000 children, alleging that many went missing or were trafficked due to dismantled vetting processes. He referenced a New York Times investigation that reported the department lost contact with more than 85,000 children, with hundreds of thousands entering federal custody during Becerra&#8217;s tenure, including 100,000 under age ten. Hilton also challenged Becerra&#8217;s guidance on COVID-19 measures, asserting that recommendations for masking young children and administering vaccines lacked scientific justification and were driven by political groupthink. The debate featured sharp exchanges, with Hilton framing Becerra as a career politician adhering to flawed policies, while Becerra dismissed the criticisms as political attacks. The discussion highlighted contentious issues surrounding immigration policy and pandemic health protocols, reflecting ongoing political debates ahead of upcoming elections.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Republican Steve Hilton used Wednesday night\u2019s California gubernatorial debate to press Democrat Xavier Becerra on unaccompanied migrant children who passed through the Department of Health and Human Services while Becerra was secretary.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/09\/30\/politics\/live-news\/california-governor-debate-midterms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CNN debate<\/a> in Burbank, moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, was the only scheduled face-off between the two finalists. Hilton, a British-born business executive and former Fox News contributor, trails by more than 20 points, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolling.com\/polls\/governor\/general\/2026\/california\/hilton-vs-becerra\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RealClearPolling<\/a>. Becerra is a former California attorney general who served as HHS secretary in the Biden administration.<\/p>\n<p>On immigration, Hilton said Becerra had been responsible for 479,000 unaccompanied migrant children and for their welfare in \u201ccamps\u201d the department ran. He said Becerra dismantled vetting that was supposed to place children with a safe family or sponsor, and that thousands were sent to sex and labor traffickers. He said hundreds of thousands of children Becerra was responsible for are still missing, including 100,000 under 10.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">This was a total SMACKDOWN.<\/p>\n<p>Far-left Democrat Xavier Becerra just got completely EXPOSED by Republican Steve Hilton for losing track of hundreds of thousands of migrant children during his time as HHS Secretary.<\/p>\n<p>Becerra just stood there looking nervous as Hilton laid it all out. It was absolutely brutal to watch.<\/p>\n<p>HILTON: \u201cWhen you were HHS Secretary, you were responsible for 479,000 unaccompanied migrant children and for their welfare in camps that you ran.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou sent them because you dismantled the vetting that should have made sure that they were with a safe, protective family or sponsor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou sent thousands of young children directly into the clutches of child sex and labor traffickers, hundreds of thousands of children that you were responsible for are still missing today, 100,000 of them are under ten years old.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When Becerra attempted to play off the narrative as just another \u201cTrump talking point,\u201d Hilton landed his final haymaker:<\/p>\n<p>HILTON: \u201cIt was the New York Times \u2014 and they won a Pulitzer Prize for it!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s just no coming back from that. Becerra knew it was over.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Overton (@overton_news) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/overton_news\/status\/2105478303003873419?\">October 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Becerra treated the charge as a Trump campaign line. Hilton answered that the reporting was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/02\/25\/us\/unaccompanied-migrant-child-workers-exploitation.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The New York Times<\/a>, and that the paper <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytco.com\/awards\/pulitzer-prize-winners-and-finalists\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">won a Pulitzer<\/a> for it in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>The newspaper reported that HHS lost contact with more than 85,000 children over two years and could not reach about a third of the migrant children it tried to call. Separate federal figures have put the number of children who entered Office of Refugee Resettlement custody during his tenure at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecentersquare.com\/national\/article_ad92c379-1464-46f8-83c0-33ef4e3b9e2e.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">475,000<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Hilton did not stop at the children who were lost. In a later exchange that also circulated from the debate, he asked whether HHS had told states to mask toddlers and to give young children the COVID vaccine.<\/p>\n<p>Becerra said the department gave guidance, \u201cthat\u2019s not mandatory,\u201d and that medical professionals decided how the vaccines should be used. Hilton said there was no <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nyc-city-council-caucus-urges-biden-to-declare-emergency-over-migrant-crisis\/\" title=\"NYC CIty Council Caucus Urges Biden to Declare Emergency Over Migrant Crisis\">public-health justification<\/a> for masking 2- and 3-year-olds and called Becerra a career politician who followed \u201cgroupthink.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">BRUTAL: Steve Hilton rips far-left Democrat Xavier Becerra to SHREDS over his absurd COVID-era HHS guidance for young children.<\/p>\n<p>Hilton then destroyed Becerra\u2019s entire image by labeling him as nothing more than a career bureaucrat who simply followed the \u201cgroupthink\u201d \u2014 even when it meant masking toddlers.<\/p>\n<p>Savage play by Hilton.<\/p>\n<p>HILTON: \u201cDid you give guidance to the states?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>BECERRA: \u201cWe gave guidance, that\u2019s not mandatory. It\u2019s not mandatory.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>HILTON: \u201cWhy did you suggest \u2014 forcefully \u2014 that children should be given the COVID vaccine?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>BECERRA: \u201cForcefully? We didn\u2019t suggest\u2026the medical professionals who helped develop the vaccine are the ones who decided what we should do with the vaccines\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p>HILTON: \u201cWhen he was HHS Secretary, he suggested that children, young children should wear masks, two and three year olds wearing masks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>BECERRA: \u201cThat\u2019s right!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>HILTON: \u201cThere was NO public health justification for ANY of that!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe went along with the groupthink. This is why you can\u2019t trust him, because he\u2019s been a bureaucrat and a career politician all his life, and he goes along with the groupthink instead of actually standing up for facts, and in this case, the science.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe went against the science, and along with the politics and the groupthink.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s why he can\u2019t be trusted!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Game over.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Overton (@overton_news) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/overton_news\/status\/2105497280526557429?\">October 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Dan Walters, a columnist for online news site CalMatters, <a href=\"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/commentary\/2026\/09\/hilton-california-governor-becerra-debate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wrote after the debate<\/a> that the hour followed a pattern. Hilton blamed decades of Democratic control, Walters wrote, and Becerra answered with \u201cTrump\u201d:<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2018All you say is Trump, Trump, Trump,\u2019 Hilton said when the issue was immigration. \u2018Trump, Trump, Trump,\u2019 Becerra responded.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The race is for the seat Newsom leaves in January. Election Day is in November. Becerra\u2019s campaign has treated the migrant-child attacks as recycled federal talking points. Hilton\u2019s campaign has treated The New York Times investigation, and the larger custody numbers, as Becerra\u2019s record. Neither candidate settled the count on stage.<\/p>\n<p>The exchange is now the clip both sides are circulating.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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