CFRW LEGISLATIVE ALERT – August 11, 2025

[Your Full Name]
[Your Address or City, State, ZIP]
[Your Email Address]
[Your Phone Number]
 
 
Stop AB 495: A Bill That Opens the Door to Child Trafficking and Strips Parental Rights

Dear Chair Caballero and Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee:
I am writing to express my strong opposition to AB 495 – The Family Preparedness Plan Act of 2025. While this bill is presented as a compassionate effort to support immigrant families, it is dangerously broad in scope and creates significant risks for children, particularly in regard to trafficking and abuse.

 A Misguided Solution to a Real Problem

The stated goal of AB 495 is to help immigrant families in the event of deportation, or when a parent is deemed “unavailable” a term that is vaguely defined in the bill. While the intention may seem noble, the execution is dangerously flawed. It allows virtually anyone to assume full custody of a child, stripping away vital legal safeguards and creating massive potential for abuse.

 Loopholes That Put Children in Harm’s Way

This bill would allow any adult whether a family member, neighbor, teacher, acquaintance, or even a complete stranger to assume temporary custody of a child through nothing more than a signed piece of paper. There is no requirement for court oversight, no parental consent, no background checks, and no real verification of identity.
This is not a safeguard; this is an invitation for exploitation.

 A Child Trafficker’s Dream

As many have said, this bill is “a child trafficker’s and kidnapper’s dream.” When a simple affidavit with vague language is all it takes for someone to assume custody of a child without going through the courts or proving a relationship. It opens the door wide to abuse.
“Presto—someone walks away with your child.”
That is not an exaggeration. It is exactly what this bill allows.

 Stripping Parents of Their Rights

Another glaring issue is that AB 495 allows custody decisions to happen outside of parental involvement. Someone else can make significant decisions about a child’s education, housing, medical care including mental health and gender related care without the parent ever knowing.
This is not a measure of support. It’s a full scale undermining of parental authority.

 Creating Risk, Not Safety

This bill was meant to ensure that children wouldn’t be abandoned if their parents were detained or deported. But in trying to solve that problem, it introduces another, far worse. Giving unchecked custody rights to unrelated adults without judicial involvement is not protective. It places vulnerable children at even greater risk, especially those who may already be caught in unstable or dangerous circumstances.
Children left behind should not be treated like unclaimed property. There are already legal pathways such as temporary guardianship through the courts that ensure both parental intent and child safety. AB 495 bypasses those protections entirely.

 “Run with Your Kids”

Many concerned families and community leaders have called this bill what it is: a direct threat to children and families. One said plainly: “If this passes, run with your kids.”
That’s how serious this is. That’s how deeply this bill shakes the foundation of parental trust, responsibility, and safety.

 There Is a Better Way

We do not need this bill to protect immigrant families. We need real solutions that respect parental rights, require background checks, involve judicial review, and maintain the highest standards of child safety.
AB 495 is not that solution. It is a dangerous detour that makes children more vulnerable, not less.
I urge you to reject AB 495. Protect children. Uphold parental rights. Choose safety over shortcuts.
Thank you for your time and for taking seriously the responsibility to protect California’s children and families from exploitation, abuse, and the growing threat of child trafficking.

Sincerely,

[Your Full Name]
[Your Title / Affiliation]