Federal officials say expanded enforcement efforts led to thousands of recoveries and a sharp increase in arrests tied to child exploitation and trafficking.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Federal Bureau of Investigation reported that more than 6,200 missing children were located in 2025, marking a significant increase from the previous year as part of expanded efforts targeting exploitation and trafficking networks.
In a March 17 update, FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency is “advancing the mission of protecting America’s children at a level never seen before,” noting that recoveries rose by more than 30 percent compared to 2024. Of the children located, approximately 2,700 were identified as victims of exploitation, according to the Department of Justice.
Patel said enforcement actions over the past year included the arrest of 1,700 individuals accused of child exploitation offenses and more than 300 suspected human traffickers. Authorities also reported dismantling 764 criminal networks connected to these activities.
In addition, the FBI said it removed more than 3.8 million accounts linked to child exploitation from the dark web. The agency also carried out over 435 arrests tied to Violent Crimes Against Children investigations, resulting in indictments against more than 300 individuals. Arrests connected to online exploitation and Nihilistic Violent Extremist activity increased by 490 percent compared to the previous year.
“We rebuilt the FBI, surging agents out of D.C. and into communities, expanding intel sharing, and deploying cutting-edge tech and AI to hunt predators faster than ever,” Patel said. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we remain relentless in protecting children and will not slow down.”
Federal data indicates that nearly 30,000 children were reported missing in 2024, based on figures from the congressionally authorized National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The FBI said roughly 90 percent of those cases were resolved, with children returned home.
Officials noted that missing children cases vary widely in nature. Some involve family-related situations such as custody disputes or relatives, while others involve children leaving home voluntarily or attempting to meet individuals they encountered online. Additional cases include abductions, attempts to conceal other crimes, or situations involving children who become lost.
Broader data from the Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention recorded 349,557 reports of missing individuals under the age of 21 in 2024. The office allocated more than $86 million during the fiscal year toward prevention efforts, recovery operations and law enforcement training.
Recent recovery efforts have included targeted operations. On March 9, the U.S. Marshals Service announced that a week-long initiative known as Operation Safe Return, conducted in coordination with local agencies in Southern California, resulted in the recovery of 37 children and the arrest of seven individuals.
Authorities said the children received assistance to support reunification with guardians or placement in appropriate care settings. Officials involved in the operation reported that some of the recovered children had been victims of sexual exploitation or assault.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement, “We will never stop fighting to protect California children and bring them home. Finding missing children and bringing them home safely is some of the most important work we can do.”
Data from Canada shows similar reporting patterns. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains recorded 32,680 missing children reports in 2024.
Separately, federal officials addressing immigration enforcement said authorities have located more than 145,000 unaccompanied migrant children who had previously been unaccounted for. Border official Tom Homan said these children were part of a larger group of more than 300,000 minors placed with sponsors without full tracking mechanisms.
“President Trump promised that we would find these children, and under his strong leadership and with his unwavering support, the patriots at these, and other partner, agencies have been—and will continue to do—just that,” Homan said.
The FBI said its ongoing efforts will continue to focus on identifying victims, dismantling networks and expanding coordination with federal, state and local partners.
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