Trump does something right by tracking down 22k missing migrant children, but then dims his victory with words

President Donald Trump has made striking claims about the fate of hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children who entered the United States during the Biden administration. These statements have sparked debate among immigration experts and politicians about what actually happened to these children and whether they can truly be considered “missing.”

The numbers come from a Department of Homeland Security Inspector General report released in August 2024. The report found that Immigration and Customs Enforcement failed to serve court notices to 291,000 unaccompanied children between October 2018 and May 2024. Another 32,000 children failed to appear for their immigration court dates during this period. However, the report covered both the Trump and Biden administrations, with roughly half occurring under each president.

In his interview with Time magazine, Trump claimed that “325,000 children here during Democrats – and this was done by Democrats – who are right now slaves, sex slaves or dead.” He promised to find these children and return them to their parents. Trump’s appointed “border czar” Tom Homan and other Republicans have echoed similar figures while calling for increased border security measures.

The truth behind the missing paperwork

Immigration experts strongly dispute the characterization of these children as “lost” or “missing.” They say the issue is primarily bureaucratic rather than a child safety crisis. Jonathan Beier from the Acacia Center for Justice explained that “this is not a ‘missing kids’ problem; it’s a ‘missing paperwork’ problem.”

The system for tracking unaccompanied children involves multiple agencies with poor communication between them. When children cross the border alone, they are transferred from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement. The agency then places them with sponsors, often family members, while their immigration cases proceed.

Many factors explain why children might not receive court notices or miss hearings. Some may be eligible for asylum or other legal status, delaying the need for removal proceedings. Others might not receive notices because ICE lacks their correct address, or there may be communication failures between government agencies. As Trump’s track record suggests, his administration faces its own challenges with complex immigration systems.

The Inspector General report noted that ICE has only about 1,000 staff members to monitor over 7.5 million non-detained cases. This massive workload makes it difficult for officials to keep track of all individuals in the system, let alone personally check on children’s welfare.

Jennifer Podkul from Kids in Need of Defense pointed out that unanswered follow-up calls do not mean children are in danger. “It does not mean that the child’s in an unsafe place. It means someone didn’t answer the phone,” she said.

Despite these bureaucratic explanations, an alarming number of children have indeed ended up in dangerous situations. The Trump administration has located more than 22,000 unaccompanied children since taking office, with 27 found dead and over 400 sponsors arrested. However, there is no evidence supporting claims that hundreds of thousands of children are being trafficked or have died, as experts note that most children are safely placed with vetted sponsors.

The debate over these numbers reflects broader political tensions about immigration policy. While Trump’s administration continues to face criticism over various issues, the question of unaccompanied migrant children remains a complex challenge requiring better coordination between agencies rather than inflammatory rhetoric that may not reflect the full picture.