Mother Advocates for New Bill After Daughter’s Tragic Death

After the heartbreaking murder of her daughter, Kayla Hamilton, in 2022, a South Carolina representative is stepping forward with a new piece of legislation. Kayla was just 20 when she was brutally assaulted and killed, and now her mother, Tammy Nobles, is speaking out for change.

Representative Russell Fry recently introduced the Kayla Hamilton Act, aimed at tightening regulations surrounding unaccompanied minors—specifically those who enter the U.S. illegally. The act requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to evaluate whether these minors pose a risk to themselves or the community before being released.

“No one else should have to endure the pain that my daughter did,” Nobles expressed. She attributes significant responsibility to the Biden administration for prioritizing the comfort of undocumented immigrants over the safety of American citizens.

The legislation focuses on making sure that background checks are conducted before any unaccompanied child is released. Had these checks been in place earlier, the authorities would have identified Kayla’s murderers as members of the MS-13 gang. Currently, minors caught entering the U.S. unaccompanied are referred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, and not deported right away.

Fry’s proposal sets up stricter measures for how HHS assesses these minors by mandating that they contact the home country’s consulate or embassy to investigate any possible criminal background or gang affiliations. If a minor is known to have gang tattoos or connections, they would be placed in secure HHS facilities rather than released into the community.

“This bill is a crucial step toward holding people accountable and ensuring the safety of our communities,” Fry commented. He emphasized that Kayla’s tragic death could have been avoided had basic screening protocols been in place. A report revealed that one of Kayla’s murderers had a history suggestive of gang involvement long before he was turned over to family members in the U.S.

Fry highlighted the pressing need for public safety, arguing that such tragedies underline the importance of taking these issues seriously. He is urging for a change in policy to prevent future incidents. “Public safety must never be an afterthought,” he stated.