Xavier Becerra recently appeared on television and dismissed concerns about children lost under the Biden administration as merely a “MAGA talking point.” During his comments, he downplayed the notion of “lost children,” which, in reality, refers to a serious issue where his agency allegedly overlooked children placed in risky situations, often with criminals, for potential political gain.
It’s deeply troubling to use terms like “lost children” lightly, especially since these were real kids—many of them. An inspector report indicated that during Becerra’s tenure as Secretary of Health and Human Services, a staggering 448,000 children passed through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and HHS from 2019 to 2023, with most being released to sponsors.
However, significant problems arose: over 233,000 children did not receive a court date, and more than 43,000 failed to show up when required. Alarmingly, consent forms for over 31,000 children lacked proper contact information.
The report emphasizes that ICE struggles to effectively oversee the whereabouts of unaccompanied minors in federal custody. A key reason mentioned is that HHS, specifically Becerra’s agency, didn’t provide the necessary location information.
What ultimately happened to these children? Notably, at least 570 cases involved kids connected to human trafficking and drug crimes. The inspector general suggested that this number is likely an underrepresentation, as ICE wasn’t tracking the true extent of the issue. Some children have been reported as victims of forced labor, raising ongoing concerns about their safety.
Furthermore, many common sponsor locations were described as hazardous, with reports of high crime rates, gang activity, and ragged conditions. In one case, a location had no door at all, while another was a rundown motel. Clearly, these children found themselves in troubling environments.
This situation seems to align with the agency’s handling of child welfare, where one officer noted that his approach was guided by the idea that “no news is good news.”
Essentially, as more immigrants enter the country, the goal appears to be to keep distressing stories from the public eye. Official efforts by DHS and HHS to disprove these concerns were minimal.
In addition to his misleading statements, Becerra asserted that, had these missing children been real, the previous administration would have acted. This seems to deflect accountability from his leadership. If there’s any validity to his claims, then the actions taken under the Trump administration—which did pursue solutions for missing children—contradict his argument.
Under Trump, significant measures were implemented, including establishing triage centers to locate missing minors. By 2025, over 59,000 of 65,000 missing children cases were resolved, some linked to criminal activity. Moreover, a program designed to locate remaining minors led to the discovery of 127,000 children by December 2025.
This ironically illustrates a flaw in Becerra’s logic. If Trump’s administration was ineffective, why did they manage to find so many children? Instead of refuting claims, one might wonder why Becerra hasn’t issued a report accounting for the children under his watch.
Many could sympathize with why Becerra might wish to downplay these events—it certainly casts a shadow over his political aspirations. However, using dismissive language to trivialize such serious matters is frustrating and concerning.
Instances like this are telling of how policy decisions made at DHS and HHS can lead to grave consequences such as missing children. Sadly, it often seems that officials prioritize political gain over the welfare of vulnerable individuals.
While they remain unaccountable for these issues, it’s worth noting that efforts have been made to locate those missing children.
