I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9654 

To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require effective sharing 

of court information regarding unaccompanied alien children released 

from custody, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024 

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require 

effective sharing of court information regarding unaccompanied alien children released from custody, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stop Alien Children 

5 Trafficking Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. EFFECTIVE SHARING OF COURT INFORMATION RE2 GARDING UNACCOMPANIED ALIEN CHIL3 DREN RELEASED FROM CUSTODY. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle I of title VIII of the 

5 Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 481 et seq.) 

6 is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 896. EFFECTIVE SHARING OF COURT INFORMATION 

8 REGARDING UNACCOMPANIED ALIEN CHIL9 DREN RELEASED FROM CUSTODY. 

10 ‘‘(a) INFORMATION SHARING.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days 

12 after date of the enactment of this section, the Di13 rector of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforce14 ment shall implement an automated process to iden15 tify unaccompanied alien children who do not appear 

16 for immigration hearings and share such informa17 tion with the following: 

18 ‘‘(A) Internally, between the following: 

19 ‘‘(i) Office of the Principal Legal Ad20 visor. 

21 ‘‘(ii) Enforcement and Removal Oper22 ations. 

23 ‘‘(B) Externally, with the following: 

24 ‘‘(i) U.S. Customs and Border Protec25 tion. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) The Office of Refugee Resettle2 ment of the Department of Health and 

3 Human Services. 

4 ‘‘(iii) The Department of Justice. 

5 ‘‘(2) ACCOUNTABILITY.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each fiscal year, the 

7 Secretary shall submit to the Attorney General 

8 an annual written certification indicating 

9 whether U.S. Immigration and Customs En10 forcement is in compliance with subsection (a). 

11 ‘‘(B) COMPLIANCE DETERMINATION.—Not 

12 later than 60 days after the submission of the 

13 certification under subparagraph (A), the Attor14 ney General shall determine whether U.S. Im15 migration and Customs Enforcement has 

16 achieved compliance with subsection (a). 

17 ‘‘(C) NONCOMPLIANCE PENALTIES.—For 

18 each of fiscal years 2025 through 2035, each 

19 political appointee of U.S. Immigration and 

20 Customs Enforcement shall not be eligible for 

21 the receipt of bonus pay, excluding overtime 

22 pay, until— 

23 ‘‘(i) the Secretary certifies compliance 

24 pursuant to subparagraph (A); and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) the Attorney General makes a 

2 determination of compliance pursuant to 

3 subparagraph (B).’’. 

4 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

5 in section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is 

6 amended by inserting after the item relating to section 

7 895 the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 896. Effective sharing of court information regarding unaccompanied 

alien children released from custody.’’. 

Æ 


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