The Trump administration has tracked down over 13,000 unaccompanied migrant children who vanished under Biden’s border policies. Health and Human Services dropped this bombshell to NewsNation on Thursday.
Newsmax reported that in just six months, the Trump team located 13,061 unaccompanied alien children (UACs) lost during the Biden era’s open-border chaos. The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general previously noted 320,000 UACs crossed the border under Biden.
That’s a staggering number, and the fact that thousands were unaccounted for speaks volumes about past administrative neglect.
Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, didn’t mince words on X: “90% of the addresses ... recorded for half a million UACs is fake, false or abandoned.” This claim exposes a bureaucratic mess left by Biden’s team, where addresses for vulnerable kids were essentially fiction. It’s the kind of sloppy governance that fuels distrust in federal competence.
Adding to the scandal, 422 sponsors tasked with housing these minors have been arrested for alleged abuse. Local police, Child and Protective Services, and federal agencies are now digging into these disturbing claims. The idea that vetted sponsors could betray such trust is a gut punch to any sense of moral decency.
The Biden administration’s vetting process for these sponsors failed spectacularly. How do you lose track of kids and then place them with predators? It’s a question that demands answers, not excuses, from those who championed unchecked migration.
Tricia McLaughlin, Homeland Security spokesperson, told NewsNation on July 24, 2025, that child safety and reunification with parents or safe guardians is the Trump administration’s top priority. This stands in sharp contrast to the nearly 300,000 kids lost under Biden, she noted. Her words underscore a shift toward accountability that’s long overdue.
CNN reported on July 23, 2025, that located teenage minors are now being offered a choice: leave the U.S. voluntarily or stay under HHS care.
Those opting for departure are handed to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation. It’s a pragmatic move, but one that highlights the messy reality of cleaning up someone else’s border policy disaster.
Minors who decline voluntary departure are transferred to Health and Human Services for further care. This process aims to balance compassion with order, ensuring kids aren’t left in limbo. Yet, it’s a stark admission that the system is still grappling with the fallout of prior mismanagement.
The voluntary departure option stems from the Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022.
McLaughlin noted this allows minors to return to countries beyond just Canada and Mexico, thanks to new funding from Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” signed in July 2025. It’s a policy rooted in giving kids a safe exit, but critics will likely cry foul anyway.
The “Big, Beautiful Bill” is a game-changer, expanding options for returning minors to their home countries. This isn’t just about deportation; it’s about ensuring kids aren’t stuck in a broken system. The contrast with Biden’s era, where kids were seemingly forgotten, couldn’t be clearer.
Health and Human Services’ report to NewsNation marks a turning point in addressing a humanitarian crisis ignored for too long.
The fact that 13,061 kids have been found in six months is no small feat. It’s what happens when leadership prioritizes results over ideology.
Still, the arrests of 422 sponsors raise chilling questions about how these individuals were selected. The Biden administration’s lax oversight left kids vulnerable to abuse, a failure that’s hard to forgive. Investigations must hold every culpable party accountable, no matter their rank.
The Trump administration’s focus on reuniting kids with safe guardians is a direct rebuke to progressive policies that prioritized optics over outcomes.
McLaughlin’s statement about child safety being paramount isn’t just rhetoric—it’s a mission. Compare that to the chaos of fake addresses and lost kids under Biden.
The collaboration between local police, Child and Protective Services, and federal agencies shows a system finally waking up. These investigations into sponsor abuse need to be thorough, transparent, and relentless. Anything less risks betraying the public’s trust again.
