Trump Administration Says 146,000 Migrant Children Missing Since Biden Years Have Been Located

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said nearly 300,000 unaccompanied migrant children released to sponsors remain unaccounted for.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

The Trump administration said Thursday that federal officials have located 146,000 unaccompanied migrant children who entered the United States during the Biden administration and were later released to sponsors, while nearly 300,000 remain unaccounted for.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced the figures during a press conference at the Justice Department in Washington.

“We found 146,000 kids so far — 146,000 kids. We still have nearly 300,000 missing,” Mullin said.

The administration said the number of children located has risen sharply from about 22,000 last summer, as federal agencies have intensified efforts to determine the whereabouts and safety of minors who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without a parent or guardian.

According to administration officials, more than 500,000 unaccompanied migrant children entered the United States during the Biden administration. After crossing the southern border, those children were transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services and later released to sponsors inside the country.

Mullin sharply criticized the Biden administration’s handling of those cases, alleging that poor oversight allowed hundreds of thousands of children to be released without sufficient follow-up.

“When we start digging into these cases, and you start hearing the absolute horrific things that took place underneath the Biden administration, either true neglect at best and criminal at worst, to allow 450,000 kids to go missing throughout this country,” Mullin said.

The Trump administration has made locating the children a priority, saying federal agencies are working to identify where they are and whether they are safe.

Officials did not provide additional details Thursday on the methods used to locate the 146,000 children or on the condition of those found. They also did not provide a timeline for locating the nearly 300,000 children who remain unaccounted for.

The announcement adds to ongoing scrutiny of how unaccompanied migrant children were processed, released and monitored after entering the United States during the Biden years. Federal officials said the current effort will continue as agencies seek to account for children whose whereabouts remain unknown.