H.R. 1202 — Stop Human Trafficking of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Act of 2025

This section establishes the short title as the “Stop Human Trafficking of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Act of 2025.”

This section revises the vetting and monitoring requirements for sponsors of unaccompanied alien children under 6 U.S.C. § 279 by requiring, before release from the custody of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, that a prospective sponsor complete a fingerprint background check and vetting process that includes: (1) a public records check; (2) a National Sex Offender Registry check; (3) an FBI National Criminal History check based on digital or digitized fingerprints; (4) a State-by-State child abuse and neglect check; and (5) State and local criminal history checks. It also requires each household member who is 18 years of age or older to complete the same vetting process before a child may be placed in the household. This section limits placement by prohibiting the Secretary of Health and Human Services from releasing an unaccompanied alien child to a sponsor who is unlawfully present in the United States, unless the sponsor is the child’s biological parent, legal guardian, or relative. This section establishes new home-visit requirements for placements of unaccompanied alien children. Before release, the Secretary must conduct a home visit to the proposed household regardless of sponsor category. After release, the Secretary must conduct not fewer than 5 unannounced in-person home visits during the first 1-year period after release and 1 in-person home visit each quarter during the subsequent 1-year period. This section directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with State child welfare agencies and in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security, to immediately conduct the required fingerprint background check and vetting process for each sponsor to whom a child has been released since January 20, 2021, until each such sponsor has been vetted under the Act. This section requires the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security to submit monthly reports, beginning not later than 30 days after enactment and every 30 days thereafter, on the number of unaccompanied alien children encountered, transferred into HHS custody, sponsor background checks completed and pending, pre-release and post-release home visits completed, children released to sponsors by sponsor category, the total number of children in HHS custody by State and facility, and the rate of rejected sponsorship applications. It also requires monthly reports on efforts to account for children released to sponsors on or after January 20, 2021, who have been reported missing or for whom HHS has no record since release.