❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says it has tracked down 13,000 unaccompanied migrant minors released into the United States under the former Biden government, and arrested over 400 sponsors for crimes ranging from child abuse to sex trafficking.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Former President Joe Biden, President Donald J. Trump, the DHS, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), unaccompanied illegal immigrant minors, NGOs, and unvetted sponsors.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The Trump White House’s efforts to locate upwards of 320,000 illegal immigrant children essentially lost by the former Biden government are ongoing.
💬KEY QUOTE: “The safety of children and ensuring they are reunited with their parents or safe guardian is the top priority of the Trump Administration, which stands in stark contrast to the nearly 300,000 migrant children that were lost under the Biden Administration.” — DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin
🎯IMPACT: The Trump administration is prioritizing the deportation of unaccompanied minors to their families in their countries of origin instead of continuing the use of the unvetted sponsor system utilized by the Biden government.
President Donald J. Trump’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is working to track down thousands of unaccompanied migrant minors that the former Biden government handed over to—in some instances—completely unvetted ‘sponsors.’ It is estimated that more than 13,000 minors have now been located, with hundreds of sponsors arrested for crimes including child abuse and worse.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says it has arrested around 400 so-called sponsors who had been cleared to care for unaccompanied illegal immigrant minors under the Biden government. However, the number of sponsors who have engaged in criminal acts could be much higher. During recent testimony before Congress, counter-trafficking expert and policy advocate Ali Hooper revealed evidence that the Biden government left 65,000 phone calls unanswered on a hotline for unaccompanied minors to report sexual abuse, trafficking, or other criminal activities perpetrated by sponsors.
During the Biden government, an estimated 320,000 unaccompanied minors were released into the interior of the United States, and—through federal government partnerships with non-governmental organizations (NGOs)—these minors were placed with often poorly vetted sponsors. Local law enforcement across the country has warned of situations involving both sex trafficking and illegal underage labor.
Speaking with Laura Ingraham late Thursday, Hooper highlighted an alarming incident where suspects, now in custody, would lace minors’ drinks with an unidentified white powder. They would then bring in “clients” who would pay upwards of $1,000 for “appointments” at what is described as a “bunker.” The minors were often restrained and tied to beds. DHS is currently assisting the investigation.
In response to the massive number of unaccompanied illegal immigrant minors in the United States, the Trump White House has directed federal immigration officials to quickly deport the minors in question to be reunited with their families, instead of matriculaing into an NGO-sponsor network. “The safety of children and ensuring they are reunited with their parents or safe guardian is the top priority of the Trump Administration, which stands in stark contrast to the nearly 300,000 migrant children that were lost under the Biden Administration,” DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
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