PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H668)
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 11, 2025
Stop Human Trafficking of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Act of 2025
This bill establishes requirements relating to placing unaccompanied alien children with sponsors. (Under federal law, an unaccompanied alien child is a minor with no lawful immigration status and no parent or legal guardian in the United States to provide care and physical custody.)
Before the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may release such a child to a sponsor, the sponsor must complete a fingerprint background check and vetting that includes (1) a public records check, (2) a National Sex Offender Registry check, (3) a Federal Bureau of Investigation National Criminal History Check, (4) a child abuse and neglect check, and (5) state and local criminal history checks. Each adult in the sponsor's household must also undergo such vetting before the placement.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
The bill also requires HHS to visit the home of a proposed sponsor before the placement and to conduct periodic home visits after.
A child may not be placed with a sponsor who is unlawfully present in the United States unless the sponsor is the child's parent, relative, or legal guardian.
HHS must retroactively apply these vetting standards to all sponsors for placements made since January 20, 2021.
People & committees
Rep. Luttrell, Morgan [R-TX-8] · R–TX
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H668)
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
Source last updated: Mar 3, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-11 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This proposal would require background checks of prospective sponsors and adults in their households before unaccompanied migrant children could leave federal health-agency custody. It would require home visits before placement and during the first two years after release for children released after enactment. Sponsors unlawfully present in the United States would generally be barred, with an exception for biological parents, legal guardians, and relatives.
Before an unaccompanied alien child (as defined in section 462(g) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 279(g))) may be released from the custody of the Secretary of Health and Human Services to the custody of a sponsor, the sponsor shall undergo and complete
each individual who is 18 years of age or older in the household of a prospective sponsor shall undergo and complete all vetting processes required by paragraph (1)
The Secretary of Health and Human Services may not release an unaccompanied alien child to the custody of a sponsor who is an alien unlawfully present in the United States, unless such alien is a biological parent, legal guardian, or relative of the child.
Before an unaccompanied alien child may be released from the custody of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary shall conduct a home visit to the household in which the child is proposed to be placed, regardless of the sponsor category of the prospective sponsor.
For each child released from the custody of the Secretary of Health and Human Services after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall conduct— (A) during the 1-year period beginning on the date on which the child is so released, not fewer than 5 unannounced in-person home visits; and (B) during the subsequent 1-year period, 1 in-person home visit each quarter.
Section 1 would name the legislation the Stop Human Trafficking of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Act of 2025.
This Act may be cited as the Stop Human Trafficking of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Act of 2025.
Before release to a sponsor, the proposal would require checks of public records, the public National Sex Offender Registry, fingerprint-based Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history, state child-abuse and neglect records, and applicable state criminal-history and local police records. The process would have to satisfy both the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the relevant state child-and-family-services agency head, in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security.
Before an unaccompanied alien child (as defined in section 462(g) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 279(g))) may be released from the custody of the Secretary of Health and Human Services to the custody of a sponsor, the sponsor shall undergo and complete, to the satisfaction of the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the head of the department of children and family services of the applicable State (or the equivalent State agency) and in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security, a fingerprint background check and vetting process that includes— (A) a public records check; (B) a check of the National Sex Offender Registry of the Department of Justice, conducted through the public internet website for such registry; (C) a Federal Bureau of Investigation National Criminal History check based on digital fingerprints or digitized fingerprints submitted on paper; (D) a Child Abuse and Neglect check, obtained on a State-by-State basis; and (E) a check of the criminal history repository of the applicable 1 or more States and a police records check of the applicable localities.
Every household member age 18 or older would have to complete the same checks before a child could be placed there. The same federal and state approval and consultation requirements would apply.
As part of the vetting process under paragraph (1), each individual who is 18 years of age or older in the household of a prospective sponsor shall undergo and complete all vetting processes required by paragraph (1), to the satisfaction of the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the head of the department of children and family services of the applicable State (or the equivalent State agency) and in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security, before an unaccompanied alien child may be placed in such household.
The proposal would prohibit placement with a sponsor unlawfully present in the United States unless that sponsor is the child's biological parent, legal guardian, or relative. This exception concerns the immigration-status restriction; it does not provide an exemption from sponsor vetting.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services may not release an unaccompanied alien child to the custody of a sponsor who is an alien unlawfully present in the United States, unless such alien is a biological parent, legal guardian, or relative of the child.
Before an unaccompanied alien child (as defined in section 462(g) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 279(g))) may be released from the custody of the Secretary of Health and Human Services to the custody of a sponsor, the sponsor shall undergo and complete
The Secretary of Health and Human Services would have to visit the proposed home before releasing a child, regardless of the prospective sponsor's category.
Before an unaccompanied alien child may be released from the custody of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary shall conduct a home visit to the household in which the child is proposed to be placed, regardless of the sponsor category of the prospective sponsor.
For each child released after enactment, the Secretary would have to conduct at least five unannounced, in-person home visits during the first year after release and one in-person visit each quarter during the second year. The second-year requirement does not specify that visits must be unannounced.
For each child released from the custody of the Secretary of Health and Human Services after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall conduct— (A) during the 1-year period beginning on the date on which the child is so released, not fewer than 5 unannounced in-person home visits; and (B) during the subsequent 1-year period, 1 in-person home visit each quarter.
The Secretary would have to begin immediately checking sponsors of children placed since January 20, 2021, using the fingerprint and vetting process in subsection (a). This work would continue until every covered child's sponsor had been vetted, with state-agency collaboration and consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with the head of the department of children and family services of each applicable State (or the equivalent State agency) and in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall immediately conduct the fingerprint background check and vetting process described in subsection (a) for each sponsor with whom a child released from the custody of the Secretary of Health and Human Services has been placed since January 20, 2021, until the sponsor of each such child has been vetted in accordance with this Act.
Within 30 days after enactment and every 30 days thereafter, the two department secretaries would have to jointly report to the specified Senate and House homeland-security committees. Reports would cover the preceding month's child encounters, transfers into health-agency custody, completed and pending sponsor checks, home visits, releases by sponsor category, children in custody by state and facility, and sponsorship rejection rate.
Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 30 days thereafter, the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall jointly submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives a report that contains, for the preceding month— (A) the number of unaccompanied alien children encountered by the Secretary of Homeland Security; (B) the number of unaccompanied alien children released by the Secretary of Homeland Security into the custody of the Secretary of Health and Human Services; (C) the number of sponsor background checks completed under subsection (a); (D) the number of sponsor background checks in progress under such subsection; (E) the number of pre-release home visits completed; (F) the number of post-release home visits completed; (G) the number of unaccompanied alien children released to sponsors, disaggregated by sponsor category; (H) total number of unaccompanied alien children in the custody of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, disaggregated by State and Department of Health and Human Services facility; and (I) the rate at which the Secretary of Health and Human Services rejected sponsorship applications.
The secretaries would also have to jointly report to Congress within 30 days after enactment and every 30 days thereafter on the preceding month's efforts to account for certain children. The described group is children released to sponsors on or after January 20, 2021, who, as of enactment, had been reported missing or had no health-agency record since release. The text gives no end date for these recurring reports.
(2) Missing children Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 30 days thereafter, the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall jointly submit to Congress a report on all efforts made, during the preceding month, by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Homeland Security to account for all children— (3) who were released from the custody of the Secretary of Health and Human Services to a sponsor on or after January 20, 2021; and (4) as of the date of the enactment of this Act— (A) who have been reported missing; or (B) with respect to whom the Secretary of Health and Human Services has no record since the date of release from custody.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated March 3, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Judiciary Committee on February 11, 2025, and sponsor introductory remarks on February 12, 2025. This snapshot does not establish subsequent legislative action or enactment.
Source snapshot updated 2026-03-03T15:54:02Z. 2025-02-12: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H668) 2025-02-11: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. 2025-02-11: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-11. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy rider was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not determine earmark status in other materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
Findings to examine
The supplied introduced text contains a relationship-based exception to a sponsor eligibility restriction. This classification does not assess whether the exception is justified.
Biological parents, legal guardians, and relatives would be exempt from the proposed bar on sponsors unlawfully present in the United States. This gives those prospective sponsors narrower, relationship-based eligibility within the bill's main placement policy; it does not guarantee placement.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services may not release an unaccompanied alien child to the custody of a sponsor who is an alien unlawfully present in the United States, unless such alien is a biological parent, legal guardian, or relative of the child.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Mar 3, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI