Sens. Cruz, Lee, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Close Immigration Loopholes Exploited by Human Traffickers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) introduced the Stopping Border Surges Act. This legislation closes loopholes in the immigration system that enable child trafficking and incentivize fraudulent asylum claims.

Sen. Cruz said, "Under President Trump, we have seen a 99% drop in border crossings through enforcement and other measures. Nevertheless, statutory loopholes remain that directly endanger children while more broadly undermining border security and American national security. Congress should close such loopholes permanently, and I am proud to join Senator Lee in introducing this legislation."

Sen. Lee said, "Child traffickers have smuggled abused children across our border thanks to the Biden administration's policies that made it easier for them to cross by claiming to have a child. On top of that, many of these kids were released into their kidnappers' arms. This is not merciful; it's a Democrat-concocted system that favored traffickers. All the while, these coyotes were claiming to seek asylum, passing multiple safe countries on their way here without stopping. The Stopping Border Surges Act will disincentivize asylum fraud and give President Trump's border team the tools they need to protect exploited kids."

Sen. Banks said, "Loopholes in our immigration laws have encouraged illegal crossing, fueled asylum fraud, and put vulnerable children at risk. The Stopping Border Surges Act closes those loopholes, strengthens enforcement, and restores integrity to our immigration system."

Sen. Britt said, "Illegal border crossings not only endanger Americans; they also incentivize the abuse and trafficking of migrant women and children. Now is the time to pass the Stopping Border Surges Act to permanently close these loopholes that embolden criminals and bad actors. I will always fight to keep American families and communities safe."

Sen. Cotton said, "Joe Biden's reckless open border policies allowed illegal aliens to exploit our immigration system. Our bill would close loopholes that incentivize illegal border crossings, endanger children and families, and undermine our asylum system."

Sen. Scott said, "America saw what open borders and mass amnesty looked like for four miserable years. Democrat policies failed Laken Riley, Sheridan Gorman, Jocelyn Nungaray, and countless other Americans. We can never let a future president do that to us again - or worse. We know what the radical left socialists want: look at Spain and across Europe and look at what happened to our border under Biden. For the sake of our country, Congress must codify President Trump's border agenda and close every possible loophole in America's immigration system before it's too late. We cannot go back."

Sen. Tuberville said, "Thankfully, President Trump has locked down our borders after Joe Biden let millions of illegals invade our country. But unfortunately, we still have loopholes that are incentivizing illegals to make the dangerous journey to come here. Proud to join Sen. Mike Lee in introducing legislation to make sure we are not actively encouraging illegal immigration."

Read the bill text here.

BACKGROUND

The Stopping Border Surges Act will eliminate the expansion of the Flores Settlement Agreement by allowing alien children accompanied by parents to be held with that parent for the duration of the parent's adjudication. This would end the incentive for non-parents to claim an unknown child as their own. It also removes any incentive for parents to bring children with them on the hazardous journey to the U.S. Border.

The United States currently returns unaccompanied children from Mexico and Canada quickly and safely. Children from other countries, however, are placed in a lengthy removal process. They are released into the United States to the same adults who smuggled them into the country. Consequently, the policy incentivizes the enlistment of couriers to smuggle children across the border. This legislation ends this incentive by extending the same seamless process available to children from Mexico and Canada.