PRIA Logo™
119-s-286119th Congress

Stop Human Trafficking of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Act of 2025

Sponsored By: Senator Scott, Rick [R-FL]

Introduced

Summary

Stricter vetting and monitoring would be required for adults who sponsor unaccompanied migrant children, adding fingerprint and criminal checks, pre-release home visits, and routine post-release checks.

Show full summary
  • Families and children: Sponsors and every adult in a sponsor household must complete fingerprint, FBI, sex offender, state child abuse, state criminal, and local police checks. HHS must visit the proposed home before release and conduct at least 5 unannounced visits in the first year and 4 quarterly visits in the second year.
  • Sponsors unlawfully present: A person unlawfully in the United States may not be approved as a sponsor unless they are the child’s parent, relative, or legal guardian. The bill requires HHS to retroactively run the same vetting for all sponsors used since January 20, 2021.
  • Agencies and oversight: HHS must coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and state child welfare agencies to carry out checks and monitoring. HHS and DHS must submit monthly reports to designated congressional committees with counts of encounters, releases, background checks completed or in progress, pre- and post-release visits, custody totals by state and facility, sponsor categories, rejection rates, and a separate monthly accounting of children released since January 20, 2021 including those reported missing.

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

New vetting rules for sponsors

This bill would require sponsors to finish several background checks before HHS could release an unaccompanied child to them. Checks would include public records, the Department of Justice sex-offender registry (via its public website), an FBI fingerprint-based national criminal history check, State child abuse and neglect checks, and State and local criminal checks. Every person age 18 or older in the sponsor's household would have to complete the same vetting. HHS would do a home visit before any release. HHS could not release a child to someone unlawfully present in the U.S., unless that person is the child's biological parent, legal guardian, or relative. The bill would also require HHS to start this vetting right away for sponsors used since January 20, 2021 and continue until each such sponsor is vetted.

Required home visits after placement

If enacted, HHS would make at least five unannounced in-person home visits during the first year after a child is released from HHS custody. In the second year after release, HHS would make one in-person home visit each quarter. This schedule would apply to each child released after the bill becomes law.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Scott, Rick [R-FL]

FL • R

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Johnson, Ron [R-WI]

    WI • R

    Sponsored 1/28/2025

  • Sen. Moody, Ashley [R-FL]

    FL • R

    Sponsored 10/14/2025

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
Back to Legislation