Senator Ashley Moody (R-FL) today introduced two pieces of legislation aimed at bolstering immigration enforcement and addressing what she described as “reckless and dangerous policies” of the Biden administration concerning the border and unaccompanied migrant children. The proposed laws, the RIPPLE Act and the Stop GAPS Act, seek to empower states in immigration matters and prevent human trafficking of children.
Senator Moody asserted that the Biden administration has caused “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.” She emphasized her prior experience as Florida’s Attorney General, where she “fought constantly in court to stop the intentional destruction of our border and trafficking of minors.”
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The Reimbursement for Immigration Partnerships with Police to Allow Local Law Enforcement Act, or RIPPLE Act, is designed to expand the existing 287(g) program. This program allows state and local law enforcement agencies to assist in federal immigration enforcement.
The RIPPLE Act would broaden the scope of reimbursable expenses for participating agencies, enabling them to dedicate already-sworn officers to immigration enforcement more efficiently. This, Senator Moody explained, would serve as a “force multiplier” for federal immigration enforcement while new federal officers are being hired and trained.
“Expanding the 287(g) program will provide resources to state law enforcement to more efficiently get dangerous criminals out of our communities,” Senator Moody stated, drawing a parallel to recent unrest in California. “This bill will ensure that our local, state and federal law enforcement have the resources they need to hold those who break the law accountable. This lawlessness will not be tolerated.”
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Congresswoman Laurel Lee, the lead House sponsor of the RIPPLE Act, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the need for support for law enforcement amidst escalating civil unrest. She noted that the RIPPLE Act would cover “overtime pay and key personnel costs,” facilitating collaboration between local, state, and federal agencies to enforce immigration laws.
The second piece of legislation, the Stop Government Abandonment and Placement Scandals (Stop GAPS) Act, directly targets the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This bill aims to address the Biden administration’s reported failure to track tens of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children, many of whom were allegedly placed in dangerous situations.
According to Senator Moody, the Stop GAPS Act would strike down existing law that allows ORR to place unaccompanied children with “any adult or entity seeking custody.” Instead, it would mandate ORR to collaborate with states in finding suitable homes and placements for minors and to track these children throughout their stay in the U.S. while immigration proceedings are ongoing.
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Findings from the Third Presentment of the Twenty-First Statewide Grand Jury in Florida underscore the urgency behind the Stop GAPS Act. This grand jury report, which the Biden HHS reportedly refused to cooperate with, painted a grim picture of ORR’s practices. The report found that:
- ORR is “facilitating the forced migration, sale, and abuse of foreign children.”
- During a 10-month period in 2021, ORR lost contact with nearly 20,000 unaccompanied migrant children.
- Reports indicated thousands of allegations of sexual abuse received by HHS and the U.S. Department of Justice.
- Testimony from children revealed instances of being “pimped out,” running away from sponsors due to being sold for sex, and being placed in homes with unknown individuals or unsuitable living conditions.
- ORR allegedly discouraged thorough checks of sponsor addresses, with some addresses including strip clubs, empty lots, or open fields.
- During the Biden administration, home studies were performed in only a minimal percentage of placements.
- Criminal history, lack of citizen status, and refusal to submit to background checks did not disqualify sponsors. One sponsor with a prior battery on a child conviction was granted custody.
- A concerning pattern emerged of sponsors applying to receive multiple children, with one address in Texas receiving 44 children.
- Florida authorities reported a lack of coordination or consultation from DHS or HHS regarding children resettled in the state, often receiving no information on backgrounds, criminal history, or immigration status.
- During a six-month period in 2021, over 70 airplanes, sometimes in the middle of the night, arrived at Jacksonville International Airport with unaccompanied children, one of whom was a 24-year-old who later brutally killed his sponsor. ORR is now reportedly concealing smaller groups of children on regular commercial flights.
Senator Moody affirmed her commitment to working with President Donald Trump “to not only reverse the failures of the Biden administration but ensure that it can never happen again.” She described the RIPPLE Act and the Stop GAPS Act as “critical steps” in achieving these goals.
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