I don’t know how this isn’t front-page news everywhere, but it’s not getting nearly enough attention.
President Trump just said 300,000 children went missing under the Biden Administration, that’s bombshell #1.
Bombshell #2 is that the Trump Administration has now recovered 10,000 of them.
Truly stunning claims.
Watch here:
🚨President Trump on the 300,000 missing children under Biden:
“Something you haven't reported.. 300,000 children went missing under Biden. We've gotten back 10,000 of them… We have a lot more planned to get back. Getting them back by the thousands.”
pic.twitter.com/4KPVxJ9b4M— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) July 11, 2025
I don’t know about you, but it immediately made me think of this 2012 Tweet from Donald J. Trump before he was President Trump:
CBS News reported on similar claims back in December 2024:
President-elect Donald Trump claimed in his Person of the Year interview with Time magazine this week that President Biden’s administration lost track of more than 300,000 migrant children who crossed the border unaccompanied, saying many of them are in danger or dead. But experts say he’s distorting the facts.
“We have 325,000 children here during Democrats — and this was done by Democrats — who are right now slaves, sex slaves or dead,” Trump said. “And what I will be doing will be trying to find where they are and get them back to their parents.”
Trump repeated similar claims on the campaign trail, and Republicans, including Trump’s appointed “border czar” Tom Homan, have echoed similar figures as they call for increased border security.
But immigration experts tell CBS News these claims are misleading and misrepresent government data. Additionally, they say while some unaccompanied minors have become victims of trafficking or other crimes, the government safely releases most of these children to vetted sponsors — often a family member — while their immigration cases play out.
Possible origins of the number
ADVERTISEMENTRepublicans began making claims that more than 300,000 unaccompanied children had been “lost” after the Department of Homeland Security released a report in August which showed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, did not serve notices to appear in court to 291,000 children between fiscal year 2019 and May 2024.
Additionally, 32,000 unaccompanied children failed to show up for immigration court dates from fiscal year 2019 to 2023.
Notably, around half of this period occurred when Trump was president. The report did not specify the number of children who missed court appearances under each administration.
While the DHS report stated that children who do not attend their court hearings can be at a higher risk of being trafficked or exploited, it did not say that the total 323,000 children referenced are unaccounted for or missing.
The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for clarification on Trump’s claims.
I also went to Grok for more context:
The claim of 300,000 “missing” children originates from statements by President Trump and Republican officials, referring primarily to unaccompanied migrant children (UACs) who entered the U.S. illegally across the southern border during the Biden administration (2021–2025). These children, often from Central America, were processed by border authorities and then transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for temporary custody before being released to sponsors—typically family members or guardians in the U.S.
The “missing” label stems from instances where HHS or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lost contact with these children after release, such as when follow-up safety checks (e.g., 30-day phone calls) went unanswered or when children failed to appear for immigration court hearings.
ADVERTISEMENTThis number is an estimate extrapolated from government reports and has been criticized as exaggerated or lacking context by fact-checkers, who note it’s not evidence of widespread kidnapping but rather administrative tracking failures.
For instance, a 2024 HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) report highlighted that for about 85,000 children released early in Biden’s term, initial contact attempts failed, but later audits suggested the total uncontactable could reach 300,000–320,000 when including all UACs processed through 2024 (over 500,000 total arrivals).
Independent sources emphasize that “missing” doesn’t mean vanished—many are likely living with sponsors but not responding to government outreach due to fear of deportation or other reasons.
Where Did They Go? Who Took Them?
Most of these children were not “taken” in the sense of abduction but were officially released to vetted sponsors under federal policy. Sponsors are usually relatives (e.g., parents, aunts/uncles already in the U.S.), but in some cases, they could be distant connections or non-family guardians.
After release, they were intended to live with these sponsors while awaiting immigration proceedings. However, concerns arose about exploitation: Some ended up in unsafe situations, such as child labor (e.g., working in meatpacking plants or farms) or human trafficking rings.
Whistleblower reports and congressional oversight documented cases where children were placed with unvetted or fraudulent sponsors linked to cartels or labor traffickers.
“Where they went” varies: Many are believed to be in U.S. communities, integrated into families or schools, but avoiding government contact. Others may have been trafficked for sex or labor, with estimates of exploited cases in the thousands (not hundreds of thousands).
Trump has claimed many are “slaves, sex slaves, or dead,” but this is unsubstantiated beyond anecdotal reports.
Who took them: Primarily sponsors approved by HHS, but critics argue vetting was insufficient, allowing MS-13 gang members, fake relatives, or traffickers to claim children.
A 2025 OIG report confirmed ICE couldn’t monitor all released UACs due to resource constraints.
Details on the 10,000 Recovered
This figure comes from recent statements by Trump and his Border Czar, Tom Homan, as of July 2025, claiming that since Trump took office in January 2025, ICE and border officials have “recovered” about 10,000 of these children through targeted operations.
“Recovered” here means locating and often taking them into government custody for protection or deportation proceedings, not necessarily rescuing from immediate danger. Earlier in 2025, similar claims referenced 75,000–80,000 “found” during Trump’s first term, but the 10,000 is specific to post-2025 efforts.
ADVERTISEMENTWhere were they found? Reports indicate they were located in homes, workplaces, or communities across the U.S., often during ICE raids or welfare checks. Examples include agricultural fields, factories, or urban areas where child labor violations were suspected.
A DHS statement from July 11, 2025, mentioned rescuing 8 children from exploitation and child labor violations in one operation.
Broader efforts involve tracking down UACs who missed court dates or whose sponsors are undocumented.
Who had them? In many cases, they were with undocumented sponsors (e.g., family members without legal status) or in exploitative setups run by traffickers or employers. Some were held by cartel-linked individuals or in forced labor situations.
Critics note that Trump’s operations have sometimes separated children from legitimate guardians, leading to family disruptions.
Have prosecutions started? Yes, investigations and prosecutions are underway for related crimes like trafficking and child labor violations. Homan has emphasized ongoing law enforcement actions against exploiters, with some cases leading to arrests of sponsors or employers.
However, specifics on numbers or high-profile cases are limited in public reports as of July 11, 2025. Trump’s administration has pledged to prioritize this, including canceling contracts with organizations accused of poor oversight.
Broader efforts tie into anti-trafficking initiatives, but no comprehensive data on prosecutions directly linked to these 10,000 has been released.
Biden’s Role
The Biden administration’s policies on UACs emphasized humanitarian release to sponsors to avoid prolonged detention, amid a surge of over 500,000 arrivals from 2021–2024.
Critics, including congressional Republicans and whistleblowers, argue Biden’s reversal of Trump-era restrictions (e.g., stricter vetting and DNA testing for sponsors) led to rushed placements and inadequate follow-up, exacerbating tracking issues.
A 2024 Virginia Attorney General challenge and OIG reports faulted HHS for not conducting full background checks on all sponsors, potentially endangering children.
Defenders say the system inherited from prior administrations (including Trump’s first term, which “lost” 54,000 under similar metrics) was overwhelmed, and Biden increased resources for vetting but faced legal and capacity limits.
ADVERTISEMENTOverall, while not directly “causing” disappearances, Biden’s policies are blamed for prioritizing speed over security, contributing to the uncontactable cases.
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