I 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1537 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 10, 2023 Mr. Burgess (for himself, Mr. Ellzey , Mr. Smith of New Jersey , Mr. Weber of Texas , and Mr. Crenshaw ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To amend the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2008 to transfer the custody of an unaccompanied alien child to the Secretary of Health and Human Services or such child’s parent or legal guardian.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Protecting an Alien child’s Reasonable Expectation of No Trafficking Act of 2023 or the PARENT Act of 2023 . 2. Providing safe and secure placements for children Section 235(b)(3) of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 ( 8 U.S.C. 1232(b)(3) ) shall be amended to read as follows: (3) Transfers of unaccompanied alien children Not later than 72 hours after determining that a child is an unaccompanied alien child, any department or agency of the Federal Government that has an unaccompanied alien child in custody shall only transfer the custody of such child to such child’s verified parent or legal guardian or to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. .