LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – Paris Hilton is urging Michigan lawmakers to approve new protections for vulnerable youth, testifying in support of legislation that would restrict how children are transported to residential treatment programs.
Hilton shared her personal experience during testimony before the House Families and Veterans Committee, describing how she was taken from her home as a teenager.
“When I was 16 years old, I was taken from my bed in the middle of the night by two men I had never seen before,” Hilton said. “I was handcuffed, carried out of my home while I screamed for help. I truly believed I was being kidnapped.”
Hilton said the experience caused lasting trauma and argued similar practices are still happening across the country.
“There is nothing therapeutic about being woken up by strangers, physically restrained and taken across the country against your will,” she said. “That moment changed my life forever. My sense of safety was never the same.”
The legislation, House Bill 5514, would prohibit private youth transportation companies from using restraints such as handcuffs, chains, blindfolds, or hoods when taking minors to qualified residential treatment programs. It would also ban overnight pickups between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., with limited exceptions for safety emergencies.
Supporters say the bill would address a gap in current law. While Michigan has strengthened oversight inside residential treatment facilities, the process of transporting children to those programs remains largely unregulated.
“When a child is entering treatment, they are often already in crisis,” Hilton said. “They deserve to feel safe. They deserve dignity. They deserve to be treated with humanity.”
The bill’s sponsor has argued that the current methods can resemble “simulating a kidnapping” and cause additional harm to at-risk youth. Under the proposal, companies that violate the rules could face civil fines of up to $1,000.
Hilton told lawmakers she is speaking out now to protect others.
“I couldn’t speak up when this happened to me,” she said. “I’m so proud to use my voice for children today.”
House Bill 5514 remains under consideration in committee.
