Operation to Rescue Unaccompanied Alien Children Launched

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under President Donald Trump has initiated an operation focused on rescuing unaccompanied alien children (UACs). These children have been placed with unvetted adult sponsors during the Biden administration, raising concerns about potential sex trafficking and labor exploitation.

On Friday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem introduced the UAC Safety Verification Initiative. This initiative involves Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) working alongside local and state law enforcement to perform welfare checks on hundreds of thousands of UACs who were relocated with adult sponsors between 2021 and 2024.

“Secretary Noem is spearheading efforts to locate and protect the 450,000 unaccompanied children who have gone missing or who have been placed with questionable sponsors,” DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated.

Many unaccompanied children crossing the border were placed in homes with sponsors who were, in some cases, smugglers or sex traffickers. The Trump administration reports that more than 24,400 of these children have been located in the U.S. through direct visits and outreach.

We are collaborating with state and local law enforcement to ensure the rescue of child victims facing sex and labor trafficking, committed to protecting these children and reuniting them with their families.

Thus far, operations have begun in Florida, where ICE has apprehended several illegal sponsors of UACs with criminal records. Notable arrests include:

• In Arizona, a Guinean sponsor was arrested for aggravated assault.
• In Florida:
• A Honduran sponsor was charged with assault.
• Another Honduran sponsor faced charges of theft, fraud, and forgery.
• A third Honduran sponsor was apprehended for attempted robbery with a weapon.
• A Guatemalan sponsor was arrested for felony hit and run and driving without a license.
• In Georgia, a Guatemalan sponsor was arrested for domestic violence.
• In Maryland, a Guatemalan sponsor who faced rape charges was apprehended.
• In Massachusetts, an Ecuadorian sponsor was arrested for enticing a child under 16 and possessing child sexual abuse materials.
• In Michigan, a Salvadoran sponsor was arrested for drug trafficking.
• In Nevada, a Honduran sponsor was taken into custody for assault.
• In New York, a Venezuelan sponsor was arrested for prostitution, possession of marijuana, and failing to appear in court.
• In North Carolina, a Guatemalan sponsor was arrested for attempted murder.
• In Ohio, a Honduran sponsor was convicted of a felony weapons offense.
• A Guatemalan sponsor in Texas was arrested for human trafficking and statutory rape, as an unaccompanied 14-year-old child is pregnant.

Earlier this year, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley revealed a report indicating that over 11,000 UACs had been placed in homes with adult sponsors lacking any vetting, including background checks or fingerprinting.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. criticized the Biden administration, describing it as “the greatest facilitator of child abuse” due to its handling of UAC situations. He noted that policies prioritized speed over safety, allowing sponsors to bypass identification requirements, leading to serious oversight concerning criminal backgrounds.