The Trump administration, through an initiative led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has located more than 24,400 unaccompanied migrant children across the United States — children placed with sponsors under what officials say were lax vetting policies that left many vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the prior system failed to ensure child safety. Under the Biden administration, 146,000 unaccompanied minors were placed with sponsors who were often unvetted, leading to documented cases of neglect, labor exploitation, trafficking and sexual or physical abuse.
In one case in Texas, ICE arrested a Guatemalan sponsor for human trafficking and statutory rape after authorities found he had impregnated a 14-year-old girl placed in his care.
The current effort uses ICE's 287(g) partnerships, which allow the agency to work directly with state and local law enforcement. Those joint operations conduct in-person visits and door-knocks to locate children in dangerous situations.
Despite those findings, House Democrats voted against a $70 billion immigration bill intended to fund Department of Homeland Security operations through 2029. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries dismissed the proposed funding as a "waste of taxpayer dollars."
President Trump accused New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani by name, saying the mayor actively harbors and abets criminals who exploit children.
Chad Wolf and Tony Pham of the America First Policy Institute said those who champion human dignity should support efforts to identify children in abusive situations, and that reflexive opposition to ICE measures undermines child protection.
The partisan clash over the $70 billion bill reflects the deep divide in Washington over immigration policy, with the Trump administration pushing broad border enforcement and congressional Democrats blocking its funding priorities.
