# Stop Human Trafficking of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Act of 2023

This bill creates stricter rules for who can take custody of unaccompanied migrant children who arrive in the United States. Right now, when children cross the border without parents or guardians, the government places them with sponsors—usually relatives or other adults willing to care for them. This bill says the government must do much more thorough background checks on these sponsors before handing over the children.

The new requirements mean anyone wanting to sponsor a child must pass fingerprint checks, FBI criminal history searches, sex offender registry checks, and state-by-state child abuse and neglect checks. Every adult living in the sponsor's household also has to go through all these same checks. The bill also says the government cannot place children with sponsors who are in the country illegally, except for biological parents, legal guardians, or relatives. Additionally, the government must visit the home before releasing the child and then conduct surprise home visits at least five times during the first year and quarterly visits during the second year to make sure the child is safe.

The bill also requires the government to go back and vet all sponsors who received children since January 2021 under the old, less strict rules. Finally, it requires monthly reports to Congress showing how many children are in custody, how many have been placed with sponsors, how many background checks are complete, and how many children have gone missing or lost contact with the government after being placed.

The practical effect is that the process for placing unaccompanied children with sponsors will take longer and be more rigorous, which supporters argue will prevent trafficking and abuse, while critics worry it could leave more children in government custody for extended periods.

Stop Human Trafficking of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Act of 2023

Luttrell, Morgan

Stop Human Trafficking of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Act of 2023 This bill imposes additional requirements relating to placing unaccompanied alien children with sponsors. (Under federal law, an unaccompanied alien child is a minor with no lawful immigration status and no parent or legal guardian in the United States to provide care and physical custody.) Before the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may release such a child to a sponsor, the sponsor must complete a fingerprint background check and vetting that includes (1) a public records check, (2) a National Sex Offender Registry check, (3) a Federal Bureau of Investigation National Criminal History Check, (4) a child abuse and neglect check, and (5) state and local criminal history checks. Each adult in the sponsor's household must also undergo such vetting before the placement. Currently, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) within HHS conducts background checks of potential sponsors, which includes fingerprinting and checks of criminal public records and sex offender registries. ORR also vets adults in the sponsor's household in certain cases, such as if the sponsor is unrelated to the child, but this vetting may be waived or relaxed. The bill also requires HHS to visit the home of a proposed sponsor before the placement and to conduct periodic home visits after. A child may not be placed with a sponsor who is unlawfully present in the United States unless the sponsor is the child's parent, relative, or legal guardian. HHS must retroactively apply these vetting standards to all sponsors for placements made since January 20, 2021.