[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7538 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7538
To amend the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection
Reauthorization Act of 2008 to establish strong requirements to ensure
safe placements for unaccompanied alien children.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 12, 2026
Mr. Grothman (for himself, Mr. Gooden, Mrs. Miller of Illinois, Mrs.
Luna, and Mrs. Harshbarger) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection
Reauthorization Act of 2008 to establish strong requirements to ensure
safe placements for unaccompanied alien children.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Migrant Child Safety Act''.
SEC. 2. ENSURING THE SAFETY OF UNACCOMPANIED ALIEN CHILDREN.
(a) In General.--Section 235(c)(3) of the William Wilberforce
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (8 U.S.C.
1232(c)(3)) is amended by inserting at the end the following:
``(D) Information about individuals with whom
children are placed.--
``(i) Information to be collected by the
secretary of health and human services and
provided to the secretary of homeland
security.--Before placing the child with a
sponsor, the Secretary of Health and Human
Services shall provide to the Secretary of
Homeland Security, regarding the sponsor with
whom the child will be placed, all information
related to the individual that the Secretary of
Health and Human Services possesses, including
the following information:
``(I) The name of the individual.
``(II) The maiden name of the
individual, if applicable.
``(III) Any former name or alias of
the individual, if applicable.
``(IV) The social security number
of the individual.
``(V) The date of birth of the
individual.
``(VI) The birthplace of the
individual.
``(VII) The location of the
individual's residence where the child
will be placed, including proof of
address.
``(VIII) The results of background
checks of the individual and each
additional adult household member of
the residence where the child will be
placed.
``(IX) The immigration status of
the individual.
``(X) Contact information for the
individual, including a phone number.
``(XI) Whether the individual is a
relative or legal guardian of the
child, and if so--
``(aa) documents to prove
that the individual is a
relative or legal guardian of
the child; or
``(bb) the results of a DNA
test administered by the
Secretary of Health and Human
Services proving that the
individual is a relative of the
child.
``(XII) Any other information the
Secretary of Health and Human Services
determines appropriate.
``(ii) Additional pre-placement
safeguards.--Before placing the child with an
individual, the Secretary of Health and Human
Services, in coordination with the Secretary of
Homeland Security, shall--
``(I) conduct at least one in-
person home visit at the location where
the child will reside to confirm the
safety, suitability, and stability of
the placement environment;
``(II) require the sponsor, if the
sponsor is not a citizen of the United
States, to consent to placement on an
appropriate electronic monitoring
system, which may include global-
positioning-system monitoring, for the
duration of the child's immigration
proceedings or until otherwise
determined by the Secretary; and
``(III) require the individual to
execute a bond, in an amount determined
by the Secretary of Homeland Security,
but not less than $5,000, conditioned
upon ensuring the child's appearance at
all required immigration proceedings
and compliance with any related
reporting requirements.
``(iii) Activities of the secretary of
homeland security.--Upon receiving the
information described in clause (i), the
Secretary of Homeland Security shall, without
unnecessary delay, determine the immigration
status of the individual with whom a child is
to be placed and notify the Secretary of Health
and Human Services. If the individual is
determined to be unlawfully present in the
United States and not currently in removal
proceedings under the immigration laws, the
Secretary of Homeland Security shall consider
the initiation of such proceedings consistent
with applicable law and the Secretary's
enforcement discretion.
``(iv) No waiver.--The Secretary of Health
and Human Services may not waive the
requirements under clause (i).
``(v) Reports to ncmec.--The Secretary of
Health and Human Services shall report as
missing to the National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children the name (and any other
information in the possession of the Secretary)
of any unaccompanied alien child, with respect
to whom, not later than 120 days after placing
the child with the sponsor--
``(I) the Secretary could not
contact the sponsor for the purpose of
a follow-up or well-being check; or
``(II) the sponsor did not contact
the Secretary for the purpose of a
follow-up or well-being check.
``(vi) Information provided to state or
local health or welfare agency.--Not later than
30 days after placing a child in a residence,
the Secretary of Health and Human Services
shall provide to the appropriate State or local
health or welfare agency the information
provided to the Secretary of Homeland Security
under clause (i) and any other information in
the possession of the Secretary related to the
child.
``(vii) Parental contact.--To the extent
practicable, the Secretary of Health and Human
Services shall attempt to contact the parents
of each unaccompanied alien child, using any
information in the possession of the
Secretary.''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall
apply to any unaccompanied alien child (as such term is defined in
section 462(g) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 279(g)))
apprehended on or after the date that is 30 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act.
<all>
Migrant Child Safety Act
#7538 | HR Congress #119
Policy Area: Immigration
Subjects:
Last Action: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. (2/12/2026)
Bill Text Source: Congress.gov
Summary and Impacts
Original Text