Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) and Senator Ashley Moody (R-FL) have teamed up to introduce a bill tightening vetting protocols for sponsorship of unaccompanied migrant children.
In April 2023, Sen. Moody, who was Florida's Attorney General at the time, decried the Biden Administration's laxity in vetting sponsors of unaccompanied migrant children, accusing them of facilitating human trafficking.
Similarly, Rep. Steube questioned former Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra about the Office of Refugee Resettlement's (ORR) protocols for migrant children in March 2024, but Becerra refused to answer.
As a result, the Stop Government Abandonment and Placement Scandals Act of 2025 (Stop GAPS Act) reimplements and strengthens protocols for the sponsorship and processing of these minors.
"It's no secret that the Biden administration's open border policies were an abject disaster. Not only did they allow for a migrant invasion, but a red carpet was rolled out for dangerous criminals to prey on vulnerable youth," said Rep. Steube in his press release, adding, "Among the many victims of Biden's border crisis were tens of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children who were misplaced or lost after being processed through the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Current law allows the ORR to place unaccompanied children with any adult or entity seeking custody. No responsible parent would ever leave their child with a random stranger, and neither should the federal government."
Sen. Moody said, "We're incredibly proud of the provisions we have already passed in the One Big Beautiful Bill to protect children, but there is more to be done."
"The Biden administration did historic damage to our country's immigration and national security structures, putting our nation and unaccompanied children at risk and turning federal agencies into middlemen for mass human trafficking operations," Sen. Moody continued. "As Florida's Attorney General, I fought constantly in court to stop the intentional destruction of our border and trafficking of minors. We will continue to work with President Trump to not only reverse the failures of the Biden administration but ensure that it can never happen again. I'm grateful to Representative Steube for fighting alongside me on this important issue."
