Sponsors (12)
The bill seeks to improve identification, placement, and prosecution related to child trafficking at the border by expanding biometric collection, data sharing, and criminal tools, but does so at the cost of increased privacy risks for minors, potential chilling effects on help‑seeking, and added fiscal and enforcement burdens that could lead to family criminalization or separation.
Noncitizen children and immigrant youth will have fingerprints collected and shared between CBP and HHS to help identify trafficking victims, confirm identities, locate family or guardians, and speed appropriate placement and services.
Immigrants: creates a federal criminal statute to prosecute adults who knowingly facilitate the entry of non-relative minors, giving prosecutors clearer authority that may deter exploitation of children at the border.
Children, border communities, and the public will get more transparency because CBP must publish monthly data on apprehensions involving alleged false kinship and Congress will receive annual counts of fingerprinted minors, enabling oversight of how often biometric authorities are used.
Noncitizen children and immigrant families face increased privacy and biometric‑data risks because minors' fingerprints will be collected, transferred to HHS, and some related counts posted publicly, raising the chance of breaches, misuse, or re‑identification.
Children, families, and those helping them may be deterred from seeking help, reporting abuse, or obtaining medical care because fingerprinting, data sharing, and the threat of criminal investigation can create fear of enforcement or separation.
Immigrant parents, caregivers, or non‑relative helpers risk criminal prosecution (and resulting family separation) because the bill narrowly defines 'relative,' which could criminalize otherwise caretaking travel or assistance.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Requires CBP fingerprinting of suspected child trafficking victims, creates a felony for adults using unrelated minors to gain U.S. entry, and mandates DHS/HHS data sharing and reporting.
Introduced January 9, 2025 by Marsha Blackburn · Last progress January 9, 2025
Requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection to collect fingerprints from noncitizen children under age 14 when an officer suspects they are trafficking victims, and requires DHS to share those prints with HHS when an unaccompanied child is transferred to HHS custody. Creates a new federal felony for any adult 18 or older who knowingly uses a minor who is not a relative or guardian to gain entry into the United States, punishable by fines and up to 10 years in prison. Directs DHS to report annually to Congress on fingerprinting of minors and to publish monthly counts of apprehensions involving child traffickers who falsely claimed a close familial relationship.