Duval Times

Senators Rick Scott and Ron Johnson have introduced legislation aimed at preventing the human trafficking of unaccompanied migrant children. The bill, named the Stop Human Trafficking of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Act, seeks to implement thorough vetting procedures for sponsors and regular monitoring of children's well-being.

A report from the Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General last August highlighted that over 320,000 unaccompanied migrant children had entered the United States under President Biden's administration. The report noted these children were "at risk of sex trafficking, forced labor and other forms of exploitation."

Senator Rick Scott commented on the situation: “It is terrifying to think that over 300,000 young, innocent children have been brought into this nation, potentially forced into unsafe conditions and at risk for human trafficking. As a parent or grandparent, it’s unimaginable to think what might happen to these children, and that former president Joe Biden allowed this to happen by completely dismantling our immigration system and opening our southern border, completely ignoring the consequences or the tolls on human life. Thank God President Trump is in office and has already made incredible strides to secure our border and find the thousands of migrant children unaccounted for and at risk under Joe Biden. Our bill, the Stop Human Trafficking of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Act, will support President Trump’s actions by making critical changes to fix Biden’s broken process and protect innocent children from being trafficked in our nation.”

Senator Ron Johnson also criticized current policies: “The Biden administration’s open border policies resulted in an explosion of unaccompanied migrant children arriving at our southern border. Biden’s HHS then compounded this lunacy by making a mockery of its duty to ensure these children were placed with properly vetted sponsors who would ensure their safety. In just the first two years of the Biden administration, HHS lost track of over 85,000 children with many of them being exploited for labor and even sex trafficking. We need to fix our broken immigration system to reduce the number of unaccompanied children entering the country illegally. But those that do come here need to be cared for appropriately, and this legislation would ensure that HHS thoroughly vet sponsors before releasing any children and keep track of them post release.”

The proposed bill outlines several measures:

- Establishes comprehensive vetting standards requiring background checks for all prospective sponsors.

- Ensures proper screening for all adults in a sponsor's household.

- Limits placements with illegal aliens unless they are close relatives.

- Requires pre-release home visits and post-release monitoring.

- Mandates ongoing reports on children's status with retroactive vetting.