Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) has introduced two immigration enforcement bills to combat child trafficking and illegal employment.
The first, the Family Reunification Act, would require DNA testing to prove claims of familial connection at the border.
The second, the Illegal Labor Accountability Act, would punish employers hiring illegal immigrants.
Representative Luna claimed the Family Reunification act responds to a spike in child trafficking and forced labor in recent years.
“Under the Biden administration, almost two and a half million people have crossed our borders illegally while claiming to be part of a family unit,” said Luna. “Many of the children in these ‘family units’ are victims of trafficking and forced labor.”
According to the Federal Human Trafficking Report, over half of all active US human trafficking cases exclusively involved children.
Investigative reports claim over 85,000 illegal immigrant minors were unable to be located after being released to non-relative adults.
If passed, Luna’s bill would prevent individuals from claiming a child crossing the border as their own unless they can genetically prove a relationship with the child.
Absent such a genetic relationship, the child and claiming adult would be separated.
Meanwhile, the Illegal Labor Accountability Act aims to dissuade the hiring of illegal immigrants by tripling civil penalties of employers found to be hiring them.
Luna claimed hiring illegal immigrants deprives American citizens of employment opportunities as the former can be exploited and paid below federal minimum wage under the threat of extorsión.
“We have greedy companies unlawfully hiring illegals, both adults and children, for cheap labor instead of hiring Americans,” said Luna. “Not only are they exploiting these immigrants, but they are not being properly held accountable for it. We need to put an end to this.”
If the bill passes, employers hiring illegal immigrants could be fined up to $30,000.
