Ted Cruz, John Cornyn Introduce Bill to Strengthen Vetting of Unaccompanied Minors

U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R) and John Cornyn (R) have introduced the Kayla Hamilton Act. The legislation would require the Department of Health and Human Services to perform thorough background and criminal record checks on unaccompanied alien children (UACs) and their potential sponsors before placement.

The bill is named in honor of Kayla Hamilton, a young Maryland woman who was murdered in 2022 by a 17-year-old MS-13 gang member who entered the country illegally as a UAC.

"The Biden administration took advantage of weak immigration laws to release Walter Javier Martinez, an illegal alien and MS-13 gang member, who then raped and murdered Kayla Hamilton. Those loopholes should be closed immediately to prevent future atrocities," said Cruz.

Cornyn added, "for four disastrous years, the Biden administration skirted our nation's immigration laws, leading to Kayla Hamilton's life being cut tragically short by an MS-13 gang member who should have never been released into the United States."

Cornyn explained that the bill would require the government to conduct a "thorough background and criminal record" check on UACs and their potential sponsors.

In 2024, Tammy Nobles, Kayla Hamilton's Mother, gave testimony at an Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement hearing, where she stated that little was known about Martinez until after the arrest.

In March 2022, Martinez was apprehended by Border Patrol agents while crossing the border illegally in Rio Grande City, Texas, claiming that he was 16 and feared the gang violence back in his home country, El Salvador.

Martinez was then sent to live with a sponsor in Frederick, Maryland; however, the sponsor was never verified. The sponsor began experiencing behavioral issues with Martinez, which led to him being sent to live with his half-brother, who happened to live in the same mobile home park as Kayla Hamilton.

His half-brother soon started to experience behavioral issues, which led to Martinez being allowed to rent a room in the same mobile home as Hamilton. It was later discovered that an illegal immigrant couple ran the mobile home company.

"It took Aberdeen police to confirm that Martinez was a known gang member of MS-13, and that Martinez had a criminal record in El Salvador in 2020," said Tammy Noble during testimony. "If Homeland Security did a background check, then they would have known this, and Martinez would have never been able to be on U.S. soil."

Through this legislation, Kayla Hamilton's life will be honored.

Cruz and Cornyn continue to urge their colleagues to pass the bill, keeping further atrocities like this one from occurring.