North Houston News

WASHINGTON — Congressman Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) today introduced bicameral legislation to require the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to take necessary steps when placing an unaccompanied alien child with a potential sponsor inside the United States, especially as recent reports show HHS has been unable to contact 85,000 children in the past two years. The Stop Human Trafficking of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Act of 2023 is companion legislation that was recently introduced in the Senate by Senators Rick Scott (R-FL), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Tom Cotton (R-AR).

“Unaccompanied migrant children are crossing our border, and the Biden Administration’s failed policies have done absolutely nothing to protect them. Instead, these children are released with no follow-up and are being exploited by cartels, resulting in forced labor, sex trafficking, and abuse,” said Congressman Luttrell. “This cannot be swept under the rug. It is crucial that proper and thorough vetting is implemented at HHS so vulnerable children are placed with responsible adults. Everyone is suffering because of President Biden’s border crisis, and it cannot continue.”

Senator Rick Scott said, “No one is safe from the suffering caused by President Biden’s border crisis, especially children. The savage cartels don’t care about a child’s life, they happily traffic them across Biden’s wide open border and collect the payment without a minute of regret. That must end NOW. I have seven grandkids and I cannot imagine them ever being put at risk. Every child is worth protecting. Hundreds of thousands of migrant children have entered the federal government’s shelter system and President Biden’s administration is not doing nearly enough to keep them safe. We must ensure that these unaccompanied children placed with a sponsor by this administration are not being trafficked. I want to thank Congressman Morgan Luttrell for introducing this piece of legislation in the House of Representatives. I’m proud to be leading this bill in the Senate and urge our colleagues in both chambers to support and quickly pass this needed legislation to protect kids.”

The Biden Administration’s refusal to secure our southern border has resulted in vulnerable migrant children being exploited by the cartels and transnational criminal organizations. More than 370,000 unaccompanied children have come to our southern border unlawfully under President Biden and just over 152,000 children were encountered at our southern border in the previous fiscal year. A study from the Coalition Against Trafficking In Women estimated that 60% of unaccompanied migrant children are caught by cartels and exploited through child pornography and drug trafficking.

The Stop Human Trafficking of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Act establishes proper vetting standards by HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and DHS before releasing an unaccompanied child to a sponsor.

Specifically, this legislation would:

• Require all categories of prospective sponsors whether a parent, immediate relative or unrelated adult to be properly vetted before placement of unaccompanied child.
• Require vetting of all adults in the household of a potential sponsor to undergo and complete all vetting processes required before placement of an unaccompanied child.
• Prohibits an unaccompanied child to be released to a sponsor who is illegally in the United States unless the individual is a biological parent, legal guardian or relative.
• Require ORR to complete a home visit before release of the child and conduct a minimum of five unannounced home visits during the first year the child is living with the sponsor.
• Implement a monthly reporting requirement from DHS and HHS to Congress.
• Require vetting for each sponsor with whom a child released from the custody of HHS has been placed since January 20, 2021.
• Require reporting to Congress on actions being taken to account for current missing children who were placed with a sponsor.

Original source can be found here.