Key facts
- Nearly 146,000 unaccompanied migrant minors have been located since President Trump took office.
- Approximately 300,000 minors remain unaccounted for.
- Three Guatemalan nationals were indicted for allegedly acting as 'super sponsors' connected to trafficked minors.
- The Justice Department is investigating 15,500 'super-sponsor' cases linked to hundreds of thousands of smuggled minors.
- DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin accused the Biden administration of neglect in handling migrant minor trafficking.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Thursday that nearly 146,000 unaccompanied migrant minors have been located since President Trump took office. Officials stated that approximately 300,000 minors remain unaccounted for out of an estimated 450,000 smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border during the Biden administration.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin praised the joint efforts of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in locating the minors. He accused the Biden administration of "true neglect at best and criminal at worst" for allegedly turning a blind eye to human smuggling and failing to conduct wellness checks on children placed with sponsors.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche detailed how criminal sponsors, often connected to Mexican drug cartels, used fraudulent documents and false claims to gain custody of minors. He announced the indictment of three Guatemalan nationals living in Ohio, who allegedly acted as 'super sponsors' linked to over a dozen smuggling cases. The Justice Department is currently tracking 15,500 'super-sponsor' cases involving hundreds of thousands of minors trafficked between 2021 and 2024.
Mullin claimed that many of the located minors were found in "sanctuary" cities, specifically targeting New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. White House border czar Tom Homan indicated plans to deploy more ICE officers to New York, a move criticized by Governor Kathy Hochul, who stated that ICE has "trampled on the basic rights of Americans."