position · 2026
Require stronger screening and oversight for sponsors of migrant children
Lance Gooden called on Health and Human Services to strengthen protections for unaccompanied migrant children placed with sponsors. He supports mandatory checks of sponsors’ criminal records, sex-offender registry status, and address information, along with safe placement practices, to reduce children’s exposure to abuse, trafficking, or exploitation. He said HHS should address screening failures and improve oversight of children in sponsor care.
Context: The source documents Gooden’s position in a 2024 letter and press release; it does not specify the exact screening procedures or oversight system he would implement.
In their own words
These checks are vital for the protection of UACs from potential abuse, trafficking, or exploitation.
The source
Published: Original date not established; campaign context manually checked
Retrieved: 11/10/2026