Blackburn, Hoeven, Cassidy unveil bill to stop child trafficking at southern border

U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and John Hoeven (R-ND) joined more than a dozen of their Senate Republican colleagues in offering legislation that would require the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to fingerprint non-citizen minors entering the United States who are suspected of being victims of human trafficking.

“Under President Biden’s open border policies, we are witnessing a devastating humanitarian crisis and children are the primary victims,” Sen. Blackburn said. “Abusing and using a child again and again is one of the most heinous acts imaginable, and yet it happens every day along the southern border.”

Sen. Blackburn on Nov. 7 sponsored the Preventing the Recycling of Immigrants is Necessary for Trafficking Suspension (PRINTS) Act, S. 3239, alongside 17 original cosponsors, including Sen. Cassidy, Sen. Hoeven, and U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Thom Tillis (R-NC).

“President Biden’s border crisis has enabled human traffickers and cartels to exploit children with impunity,” said Sen. Cassidy. “We need to give Border Patrol every tool we can to help them stop human traffickers and save young lives.”

Sen. Hoeven agreed, saying that rather than enforcing the nation’s laws, the Biden administration continues to allow the crisis at the southern border to grow.

“Children are being trafficked at the border by individuals claiming to have family ties in order to exploit our immigration laws,” said Sen. Hoeven. “This is a humanitarian crisis.”

If enacted, S. 3239 also would require DHS to publicly disclose the number of such minors who are fingerprinted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials and the number of child traffickers who are apprehended by CBP, according to the text of the bill.

DHS also would be required to impose criminal penalties on non-citizen adults who use unrelated minors to gain entry into the U.S.

“Empowering border patrol agents to fingerprint noncitizens under the age of 14 would give them the tools they need to identify victims of child recycling and stop this abuse in its tracks,” said Sen. Blackburn. “Given that the Biden administration just carelessly lost track of 85,000 migrant children, passing this legislation could not be more critical.”

Additionally, S. 3239 would require DHS to submit an annual report to Congress identifying the number of minors who were fingerprinted pursuant to the act and would remove the Attorney General’s authority to waive fingerprinting requirements for those illegally crossing the southern border.

“Allowing CBP agents to fingerprint these children is a common-sense step to help ensure that these minors aren’t being used by traffickers and would help put a stop to child recycling,” Sen. Hoeven added. “This legislation is part of our efforts to force the Biden administration to act and secure the border.”