In Support of The Children’s Safe Welcome Act

ECPAT-USA applauds the introduction of the Children’s Safe Welcome Act, a bicameral bill that implements overdue changes to this nation's immigration system. Introduced by Representative Karen Bass and Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Jeff Merkley, and Richard Durbin, this bill prioritizes child welfare practices to better serve accompanied and unaccompanied noncitizen children.

As an organization dedicated to combatting the commercial sexual exploitation of children for 30 years, ECPAT-USA understands the harmful intersections between trafficking and migration. The Children’s Safe Welcome Act mandates intervention by trained child professionals as soon as youth encounter the federal immigration system. This is critical as skilled professionals are best equipped to support these children’s urgent needs and heightened levels of trauma. 

Migrant children remain a population whose vulnerabilities put them at a greater risk for trafficking. The Children’s Safe Welcome Act takes meaningful steps to better support potential victims. We thank Representative Bass and Senators Gillibrand, Merkley, and Durbin for their leadership to enhance child protection protocols within the immigration system.