U.S. Representative John R. Carter (R-TX31) filed the Protection of Children Act of 2015 (H.R. 1149) in the House of Representatives. The bill fixes a loophole in the current law regarding unaccompanied minors entering the U.S. illegally and proposes common sense solutions.

Last year, the United States border was inundated with unaccompanied minors crossing the Mexico/Texas border. As many as 68,000 children were apprehended. Under the current law, Central American children entering the U.S. illegally end up trapped in government red tape instead of being processed by U.S. Customs and returned safely to their home country. The Protection of Children Act of 2015 would fix that law, ensuring all unaccompanied children who enter the U.S. illegally are processed and safely returned to their home country as soon as possible.

“For far too long drug smugglers have continually used loopholes in our nation’s immigration law to make billions, all while preying upon the weakest in our society.  The Protection of Children Act of 2015 stops this abuse and removes a loophole human traffickers have used for years,” said Rep Carter, Chairman of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee. “Last year, we saw the affect these loopholes have on our country and southern border when tens of thousands of juveniles marched across the border and into our cities, all at the taxpayer’s expense. The great state of Texas has felt this burden, probably more than any other state. This Administration needs to stop ignoring the obvious problem, burdening the American public and putting innocent lives at risk.”   

The Protection of Children Act of 2015:

• Ensures that children who are victims of severe forms of trafficking are afforded a hearing before an Immigration Judge within 14 days to avoid subjecting them and American communities to extended immigration limbo.
• Extends the ability of DHS to hold an unaccompanied alien child up to 30 days in secure custody to ensure their appearance before an Immigration Judge and/or any Asylum hearings.
• Provides for greater transparency by requiring Health and Human Services to provide biographical information regarding the sponsors or family members to whom the children are released. (Currently, there is no requirement to share sponsor or family information with Immigration officials. Without this information, there is a great danger these children will be lost in the system and fall victim to criminals.) This bill makes this requirement retroactive to June 15, 2012.
• Mandates that the Department of Homeland Security follow up with whom the child is placed to verify the individuals’ immigration status and issue notices to appear in court should the situation require an Immigration Judge.
• Reaffirms the privilege of having access to counsel to represent immigrants in court shall be at no expense to the United States taxpayer.