The Kayla Hamilton Act Will Close Deadly Loopholes and Protect the Vulnerable

The United States House of Representatives is scheduled to vote this week on the CPAC-endorsed Kayla Hamilton Act. This critical legislation is in response to a preventable tragedy that was a direct result of the Biden Administration’s reckless immigration policies. 

Kayla Hamilton was a 20-year-old autistic woman brutally murdered by an MS-13 gang member who entered the country as an unaccompanied alien child (UAC) without a proper background check. Kayla Hamilton’s murder demonstrated that a disastrous loophole existed under Federal law allowing unvetted criminals to be released into communities, fueling a crisis of violence and enabling the recent growth in human trafficking. The historic bill named in Hamilton’s memory seeks to end the reckless "catch and release" protocols that have compromised the integrity of our immigration system and jeopardized the lives of innocent Americans.

Spearheaded by Congressmen Russell Fry (R-SC), Barry Moore (R-AL), Troy Nehls (R-TX), and Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and John Cornyn (R-TX), this legislation introduces common-sense mandates that have been absent for too long in the vetting process of those coming over our border as well as the “sponsors” supposedly ensuring the well being of unaccompanied children. The bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to contact the home country of any UAC over the age of 12 to verify criminal history and mandates screenings for gang tattoos; those with gang affiliations would be placed in secure facilities rather than released. 

To combat the exploitation of at-risk children, the bill also demands stringent vetting of sponsors—including background checks, fingerprinting, and regular checkups—and prohibits placing children with sponsors who are in the United States illegally. Congressman Fry asserts that “The tragic murder of Kayla Hamilton was preventable,” and the Act ensures that “no future administration can make those same reckless decisions.” As original cosponsor Congressman Troy Nehls (TX-22) noted, the previous failures to vet sponsors have resulted in what amounts to a state-sponsored trafficking operation, and his concern is that the failed policies “resulted in one of the largest state-sponsored child trafficking operations in human history.”

Passing the Kayla Hamilton Act will set a moral imperative to ensure safety and accountability to protect the most vulnerable. As Kayla’s mother, Tammy Nobles, heartbreakingly stated, her daughter's death was a result of policies that “prioritized the comfort of illegal aliens, like Kayla’s killer, over the safety of innocent Americans.” 

By removing the discretionary authority that allowed HHS to overlook risk factors such as criminal history, this bill requires the government to conduct its due diligence. Congressman Moore stressed that this case is “a direct result of reckless catch and release policies seen under the Biden Administration and the failure of Democrats in Congress to put the safety of American citizens first.” He believes the Act will help “stop the flow of gang members like MS-13 into our communities, and restore common sense and accountability to our immigration system.” 

It is time to listen to these lawmakers and the Hamilton family, who are demanding that Congress put the protection of American communities and the welfare of children above appeasing violent illegal immigrants. Congress must pass the Kayla Hamilton Act and close these dangerous loopholes to prevent future tragedies and stop the flow of gang violence into our neighborhoods.