Trump Administration Takes Action Against Child Trafficking Crisis

The Trump administration is ramping up efforts to combat child trafficking as the border crisis continues to expose the vulnerabilities of unaccompanied minors. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller addressed the issue, stating, “We’ve seen, as you know, half a million children trafficked over a four-year period in the United States. This administration is going to investigate every instance of child trafficking, labor trafficking, s–x trafficking, child smuggling, and all the attendant crimes involved in that.”

Testimony from a recent congressional hearing brought attention to the consequences of federal policies that have left thousands of children vulnerable. Tara Rodas, a whistleblower from HHS, explained how children were placed with sponsors who had not been properly vetted. She described how criminal networks, including gangs like MS-13, exploited these minors through systems designed to protect them.

At the hearing, retired Border Patrol agent J.J. Carrell revealed disturbing details about organ harvesting involving unaccompanied children. He noted that these children often go missing after crossing the border, becoming targets for traffickers who take advantage of their isolation. Counter-trafficking expert Alicia Hopper testified that cartels monitor and adapt to border enforcement policies, turning the process into a tool for their operations.

Reports from anti-trafficking advocates, including Lisa, show that advertisements for trafficked girls have surged in recent years. Lisa stated that most of the cases her nonprofit encounters now involve migrant children, with ads for these victims frequently appearing on platforms like Facebook and TikTok. The shift has been attributed to the increased number of minors crossing the border under policies implemented by the Biden-Harris administration.

A DHS report found that more than 291,000 unaccompanied minors were released without court dates over a four-year period, and over 85,000 remain unaccounted for. Investigators determined that nearly 20% of sponsors were approved before their background checks were complete.

Federal data indicates that since 2021, the number of unaccompanied children encountered at the border has more than doubled compared to prior years.