Texas lawmakers propose bill to help solve child migrant crisis

Two lawmakers from Texas will introduce bipartisan legislation in Congress on Tuesday that aims to speed up the removal of unaccompanied minors who don’t qualify for immigration relief.

The bill, dubbed the HUMANE Act, is sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas). It would amend a 2008 law that makes it more difficult for unaccompanied minors from countries other than Mexico or Canada to be deported.

“Today Congressman Cuellar and I are proposing a solution to the current crisis on our border,” Cornyn said in a statement released Monday. “Our proposal would improve the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2008, treating all unaccompanied minors equally and ensuring Due Process under the law in a timely, fair manner.”

SEE ALSO: 4 ways Republicans want to stem flow of unaccompanied minors

Under their bill, all unaccompanied minors who may be eligible to make a legal claim to stay in the United States would be able to do so before an immigration judge within seven days after being screened by Health and Human Services officials.

Immigration judges would then be given 72 hours to determine whether a child is eligible to say in the U.S. Children who succeed in their claims would be allowed to remain in the U.S. in the custody of a sponsor while they purse their cases. Those who don’t will be removed to their home country and reunited with their family.

“The border region in Texas has been overwhelmed over the past few months by a deluge of undocumented immigrants from Central America,” Cuellar said in a statement released Monday. “This legislation strengthens current law protecting unaccompanied children and responds to the crisis while supporting the men and women of Border Patrol.”

SEE ALSO: California town to Texas: How to house immigrant children

Cuellar and Cornyn’s bill also calls for 40 new immigration judges and lists several responsibilities for HHS. Those responsibilities include providing unaccompanied minors with shelter while they await their initial court hearing, make “all efforts” to find pro-bono legal counsel for the children and conduct FBI fingerprint background checks on any person taking custody of unaccompanied minors.

Furthermore, the bill also states that unaccompanied minors who’ve already been released to sponsors and have notices to appear in immigration court would be able to expedite their court hearings. And it calls for a plan to secure the U.S.-Mexico border.

The bill comes as thousands of children — mostly from Central America — are being apprehended at the Southwest border, specifically in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. A total of 57,525 unaccompanied minors were apprehended at the border from October 1 to June 30, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

SEE ALSO: Advocates say Obama should visit migrant children at the border