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AJR 2

Location of missing immigrant children.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Leticia Castillo

AJR 2 urges federal action to locate missing immigrant children, protect them from trafficking, boost transparency, and fast-track reunification with their families.

From printer.
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Bill Summary · AJR 2

AJR 2 (Castillo) — Location of Missing Immigrant Children

Overview

AJR 2 is a California Assembly Joint Resolution introduced on February 20, 2025, and currently “From printer.” The measure is nonbinding and directed at the federal government. It calls upon federal agencies to locate missing immigrant children who were brought across the U.S. southern border under the Biden Administration and urges urgent, comprehensive action to address the crisis of missing undocumented children. It also asks the incoming federal administration and Congress to act with urgency and compassion to protect vulnerable children.

Purpose and Intent

  • Acknowledge a humanitarian concern related to unaccompanied migrant children and alleged lapses in oversight.
  • Request that the federal government take decisive steps to locate missing children, protect them from trafficking and exploitation, improve transparency, and pursue reunification with families.
  • Communicate California’s position to federal leaders and encourage intergovernmental coordination.

Key Provisions

AJR 2 directs and advocates the following actions by federal authorities (not a mandate on California law):
1. Conduct a Nationwide Audit
- Task the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and related agencies to audit cases of undocumented children who entered in recent years.
- Identify each child’s current status and address any oversight lapses.

  1. Protect Children from Trafficking and Exploitation

    • Strengthen partnerships among federal, state, and local law enforcement, as well as nongovernmental organizations, to safeguard these children against trafficking and other exploitation.

  2. Promote Transparency and Public Accountability

    • Ensure regular public reporting on progress in locating and protecting missing children.

  3. Reunite Missing Children with Families

    • Implement expedited processes to identify and reunite missing undocumented children with their families, while providing necessary support services during reunification.

Agencies Named

  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
  • United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
  • United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
  • United States Department of Justice (DOJ)

Affected Parties

  • Missing or unaccompanied migrant children and their potential families
  • Federal agencies and interagency partnerships
  • State and local law enforcement and non-governmental organizations involved in child protection and trafficking prevention
  • California residents, and readers of the resolution as a public statement of state policy

Procedural and Timeline Considerations

  • Status: Introduced February 20, 2025; From printer February 21, 2025.
  • Classification: Joint resolution (nonbinding).
  • Fiscal Impact: Not designated for fiscal committee; no direct state funding requirement specified.
  • Next steps: As a resolution, the measure would be transmitted to federal leaders (President, Vice President, Speaker, Senate Majority Leader, and California congressional members) and the author for distribution. It expresses policy wishes rather than creating enforceable state law.

Summary

AJR 2 publicly urges the federal government to locate missing immigrant children and to address this crisis with urgency. It outlines four focal actions—auditing cases, safeguarding against trafficking, increasing transparency, and pursuing rapid reunification—while calling on the incoming administration and Congress to respond. The measure is nonbinding and does not impose state spending or new laws, but it signals California’s principled stance on protecting vulnerable children and encourages federal action.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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