North Charlotte Today

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Thom Tillis and his colleagues have introduced the PRINTS Act, a legislation aimed at combating child trafficking and exploitation at the Southern border. The act grants U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) the authority to fingerprint non-citizens under the age of 14.

Senator Tillis expressed his concerns regarding the humanitarian crisis at the Southern border, where cartels, coyotes, and other criminals are taking advantage of innocent children to cross into the United States. He stated, "This legislation is a commonsense, humane reform to help prevent innocent children from being trafficked, exploited, and abused."

The PRINTS Act includes several key provisions to address the issue of child trafficking and exploitation. Firstly, it empowers CBP to fingerprint non-citizens under the age of 14 in order to combat trafficking and exploitation. This measure aims to enhance identification and verification processes, ensuring the safety of vulnerable children.

Additionally, the act requires the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to publicly report the number of apprehensions each month involving child traffickers who falsely claim that an accompanying child is a relative. This transparency will shed light on the extent of the problem and help authorities take necessary actions.

Furthermore, the DHS will be required to submit an annual report to Congress, identifying the number of minors who were fingerprinted under the PRINTS Act. This reporting mechanism will provide valuable data on the effectiveness of the legislation and enable lawmakers to assess its impact.

To strengthen enforcement, the PRINTS Act eliminates the Attorney General's authority to waive fingerprinting requirements for individuals illegally crossing the southern border. This provision aims to ensure that all individuals, regardless of their age, are subject to proper identification procedures.

Lastly, the legislation criminalizes the practice of child recycling, where children are brought across the border multiple times. This provision acknowledges the severity of the issue and seeks to deter criminals from exploiting vulnerable children repeatedly.

The need for such legislation is evident, as statistics show that 1 in every 3 human trafficking victims is a child. In 2019 alone, ICE identified 600 children who were "recycled," with some being brought across the border as many as eight different times. Moreover, recent reports have revealed that over 85,000 children released to sponsors by the Department of Health and Human Services have been lost track of, leaving them susceptible to exploitation, abuse, and forced labor.

It is worth noting that current DHS regulations and federal laws prohibit Border Patrol agents from fingerprinting children under the age of 14. The PRINTS Act seeks to rectify this gap in policy and address the urgent need to protect migrant minors from trafficking and exploitation.

The full text of the PRINTS Act can be found on the official website of the U.S. Congress.

To learn more, click on this link: https://www.tillis.senate.gov/2023/11/tillis-colleagues-introduce-legislation-to-combat-trafficking-and-exploitation-of-migrant-minors