Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) joined the vast majority of Democrats in the House to oppose a bill on Tuesday that would prevent unaccompanied illegal alien children from being placed in foster care with criminals and illegal immigrants.
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Rep. Russell Fry (R-S.C.) sponsored the bill, the Kayla Hamilton Act, aimed at protecting unaccompanied minors who cross the border illegally. The bill is named after a 20-year-old woman who was murdered by an MS-13 gang member who had entered the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor.
Under the bill, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would be required to consider a variety of additional factors when determining how to place illegal immigrant children with foster families.
Current law provides that the HHS is required to place a child in a foster situation that is the “least restrictive setting that is in the child’s best interest” and must assess the safety and suitability of a sponsor prior to placing a child.
The bill alters how those criteria are assessed. Currently, the HHS is permitted to consider danger to self, danger to the community, and flight risk, but Rep. Fry’s bill expands these considerations.
The Kayla Hamilton Act places greater scrutiny on potential sponsors, requiring the DHS to look into the criminal histories and immigration status of all adults in a potential sponsor household and to provide that information to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The HHS would then be prevented from placing a child in a household where the adults have criminal histories or are in the country illegally.
Additionally, any unaccompanied minors over 13 or older with a history of gang-related arrests or criminal history, or with gang markings or tattoos, would be placed in a “secure facility” rather than with a foster family.
Rep. Pingree joined 200 other Democrats in opposing the bill, but it nevertheless passed with a 225-201 vote, with support from all voting Republicans.
Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) was one of just seven Democrats to break with their party to support the Republican-led bill.
