Treat all unaccompanied alien children the same and reunite them with their families in their home country is the goal of Representative John Carter’s (R-TX31) legislation introduced in the House this morning. Rep. John Carter, Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, along with Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL04) and Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA01) sponsored the Protection of Children Act of 2014 in hopes of addressing our nation’s crisis at the border.  

“The President caused this self-inflicted crisis at our border when he decided to broadcast to the world in 2012 that our government will not deport children who have come to our country illegally,” said Chairman Carter. “In one year, the number of undocumented children apprehended by Customs and Border Protection increased by 267 percent. During that same period, the number of undocumented adults increased by 72 percent. There was no significant increase in crime in the majority of these migrants’ countries between 2012 and now, but there was a change in the way our country enforced our law. President Obama has given these migrants his “permisos” and now we have a crisis of outstanding proportions in our backyard.”

"The end of the border crisis begins with honestly enforcing our immigration laws at the border," said Congressman Robert Aderholt who chairs the Agriculture subcommittee on Appropriations. "This common-sense legislation is needed to streamline the removal process while at the same time protect minor children who qualify for asylum.  We need a process where these cases can be dealt with quickly. With this legislation in place, instead of the process taking years, the process will move much more quickly. Those who try to circumvent our laws and who are here for the wrong reasons need to know it will soon take just weeks for them to be sent back to their home country." 

“This bill is a combination of ensuring our national security, providing a humanitarian response, and applying common sense. It will end the chaos by sending the signal that illegal aliens from other countries will be treated the same as those from Canada and Mexico,” said Congressman Jack Kingston, Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services.

The legislation amends the 2008 William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Act and provides for the expedited removal of Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) who are not legitimate victims of human trafficking or have credible fears of returning to their country. This legislation:

• Removes the distinction between Canadian/Mexican UACs and UACs from non-border countries, like Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.
• Requires immigration enforcement officials to investigate the people taking custody of the children inside the United States who are often here illegally and have sent thousands of dollars to criminal smuggling organizations.
• Allows officials to hold UACs while their claim is being heard, rather than released throughout the country at taxpayer expense.
• Reaffirms that taxpayers will not pay for lawyers to represent illegal immigrants. 

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