WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Hillary Scholten introduced new legislation Wednesday to "combat the immigration court backlog and strengthen due process rights for unaccompanied migrant children."
U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Reps. Dan Goldman (D-NY), Maria Salazar (R-FL) and Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR) are also co-sponsors of the Immigration Court Efficiency and Children’s Court Act, according to a release.
In a statement Rep. Scholten writes, “Let’s be clear about one thing— infants and children should not be in a situation where they have to stand trial in immigration court."
She adds, “We have a deeply broken immigration system in this country. But as we continue the long and complicated work for repairing it, of fighting for justice in a political climate that has grown callous to the suffering of children, the next best option is creating a court that works to accommodate their unique needs. As a mom, I’ll never stop fighting for these vulnerable kids.”
The bills create a Children's Court inside the Executive Office for Immigration Review. It requires children's immigration court judges to get special training, courts would be required to use child-appropriate procedures to help make sure that the kids know what's happening during their court proceedings, and legal services would have to work with courts to help kids get counsel faster.
On Tuesday, FOX 17 sat down with Congresswoman Scholten, where she discussed her other ongoing efforts to tackle immigration reform.
"I've spent almost 20 years working on the enforcement side, the employer side, the humanitarian side, and I can see how all three of these pieces are just desperate for a fix," says Scholten, "As I said, it is a national security imperative. It's an economic emergency, and it's a humanitarian crisis."
In February, a New York Times investigation exposed the dangerous working conditions experiences by migrant children, right here in Grand Rapids.
In the months since that report, Scholten has also co-sponsored two other pieces of reform legislation. The Justice for Exploited Children Act, which increases civil penalties for bad actors, and the Dignity Act, which provides funding for the border and a new pathway to citizenship.
At this time, both bills are waiting to be taken up by committee.
