Chuck Grassley
09/18/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/18/2024 11:44
Democrats Block Grassley Effort to Protect Unaccompanied Migrant Children from Sexual Harm
09.18.2024
Democrats Block Grassley Effort to Protect Unaccompanied Migrant Children from Sexual Harm
WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sought to cut off federal funds to entities the Justice Department (DOJ) has identified as facilitating sexual abuse and harassment against unaccompanied alien children (UACs). Democrats objected to Grassley's measure, instead proposing a bloated amendment that would cement the Biden-Harris policies that are putting thousands of migrant kids in harms' way.
"How many more children have to endure abuse before Congress finally says enough is enough? I say it shouldn't be even one more," Grassley said on the Senate floor.
Grassley noted Democrats' proposal:
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Prioritizes speed over safety by mandating the government determine a child's placement no later than seven days after the government receives a sponsor application;
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Fails to require across-the-board post-release servicesfor all children;
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Restricts information-sharing with law enforcement; and
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Leaves the door open for dangerous sponsors to obtain children. Specifically, it
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Does not require sponsors to undergo fingerprint-based background checks,
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Does not disqualify sponsors based on their criminal records,
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Does not require sponsors to have a pre-existing relationship with a child, and
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Does not require sponsors to return their proof-of-identity documents in a timely manner.
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"I came to the floor to offer a commonsense solution to deny bad actors access to kids. My bill would put contractors on notice that they can't willfully blind themselves to child abuse in order to get rich off taxpayers' dollars. Democrats couldn't even take that blindness seriously," Grassley concluded.
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