H.R. 7538

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7538 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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.
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