Tom Homan, the incoming border czar for Donald Trump’s administration, has claimed that the US government is unable to locate over 300,000 migrant children, many of whom, he alleges, have been forced into labor or sex trafficking. Trump and his allies, including Vice-President-elect JD Vance, have made similar statements. However, some experts argue that these claims distort statistics to suggest the children are unable to locate as they are “lost” and victims of crime, although there is consensus that certain aspects of the system require reform.
The new administration has made immigration enforcement a priority, vowing to tighten control over the US-Mexico border and carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.
Homan, in a November 26 interview with Fox News, accused the Biden administration of boasting about the rapid release of children from custody while failing to properly vet adult sponsors in the US. He stated that the administration has released over 300,000 children to unvetted sponsors and claimed that many of them would end up in forced labor or the sex trade, a reason why they are not being locate. JD Vance also suggested in an October debate that the Department of Homeland Security had “lost” 320,000 migrant children. The issue of missing children was further highlighted when authorities in Texas recently shared an image of a two-year-old girl from El Salvador found at the border with a phone number in hand.
Critics argue that the term “missing” is misleading. Immigration experts point to an August report from the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general, which found that 32,000 unaccompanied minors failed to attend court hearings between 2019 and 2023. The report also revealed that 291,000 migrant children received no court notices at all. However, some experts, like Aaron Reichlin-Melnick from the American Immigration Council, suggest that these figures reflect bureaucratic issues rather than intentional misconduct. Reichlin-Melnick emphasized that the children may be living with sponsors and merely missed their court dates, rather than being lost or trafficked.
While concerns about exploitation are valid, experts caution against assuming that all 320,000 children are victims of trafficking. Eric Ruark of NumbersUSA suggested that many of the children are likely safe with sponsors, though tracking them remains difficult due to bureaucratic inefficiencies.
The process for unaccompanied minors at the US-Mexico border involves detention, processing by Customs and Border Protection, and possible transfer to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which works to reunite the children with family members or sponsors.
The Trump administration, however, has yet to outline specific plans for addressing the issues surrounding the detention of undocumented minors. Some experts speculate that they may make it harder to become a sponsor for these children, potentially resulting in more minors being detained. The administration may also adopt measures like the controversial “Remain in Mexico” program for children. The Trump team has not provided clear answers, with spokesperson Taylor Rogers attributing the issue to “Democrats’ wide-open border policies.”
