National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd has raised concerns about national security issues related to the southern border. In response, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, is spearheading a new piece of legislation aimed at curbing child trafficking, which has seen a surge due to the ongoing migrant crisis at the border. The Preventing the Recycling of Immigrants is Necessary for Trafficking Suspension Act, co-sponsored by 17 other Republican senators, would grant Customs and Border Protection officials the authority to fingerprint children under the age of 14.
Furthermore, this legislation would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to report monthly on the number of apprehensions involving traffickers falsely claiming to be traveling with a child relative. The bill also seeks to eliminate the attorney general’s ability to waive fingerprinting requirements at the border and criminalize the act of child “recycling.” Child recycling refers to the practice of repeatedly using children to create the appearance of family units with non-related adult migrants, making it less likely for them to be deported.
The issue of child recycling has been a cause for concern for years. In 2019, then-acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan testified about a case in which a 51-year-old man purchased a 6-month-old child to exploit a legal loophole and secure his own release. These concerns have persisted amid the current historic migrant crisis at the southern border, which began in 2021. Reports have also emerged regarding child trafficking and the inability of officials to establish contact with over 85,000 child migrants. Additionally, allegations have been made that administration officials ignored signs of significant growth in child labor.
While it remains uncertain how frequently children are being recycled at the border, the DHS has acknowledged the prevalence of exploitation crimes, including child exploitation, in the United States and abroad. Addressing this issue has become a priority in the agency’s quadrennial review. However, Republicans have attributed the crisis to the policies enacted by the current administration. They claim that rolling back Trump-era policies designed to prevent the release of migrants into the interior and reducing interior enforcement have contributed to the situation.
Senator Blackburn emphasized the devastating humanitarian crisis at the southern border, with children as its primary victims. She stated that the repeated abuse and use of children is an abhorrent act that occurs daily. Blackburn believes that empowering Border Patrol agents to fingerprint non-citizens under the age of 14 would provide them with the necessary tools to identify victims of child recycling and effectively combat this abuse. She also highlighted the significance of passing this legislation in light of the Biden administration’s recent failure to keep track of 85,000 migrant children.
The bill has garnered support from several Republican senators, including Tom Cotton, Bill Cassidy, Bill Hagerty, Roger Wicker, Steve Daines, Joni Ernst, Ted Cruz, John Hoeven, Mike Rounds, Thom Tillis, Mike Lee, Cindy Hyde-Smith, John Cornyn, Katie Britt, Marco Rubio, J.D. Vance, and Kevin Cramer. This initiative coincides with concerns raised by lawmakers in the House regarding a recent settlement the Biden administration reached with civil rights activists concerning the Trump-era “zero tolerance” policy. Critics argue that the settlement, which prohibits the separation of family units, could incentivize cartels to pose as minors’ relatives for easier entry into the United States.
Adam Shaw, a politics reporter for Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security, contributed to this article. He can be contacted at [email protected] or reached via Twitter.
