Members of the White House and the Trump administration are vigorously pushing back against allegations made by the Miami Herald. In an article titled “The Trump administration targets Florida foster parents, migrant youth, to deport,” the Herald claimed that the administration’s deportation efforts were now encroaching on vulnerable children, previously considered off-limits. It described a shift where immigration agents have been directed to focus on unaccompanied minors and cut funding for legal support.
The report mentioned attempts to locate minors who had been victims of abuse, neglect, or abandonment, raising serious concerns about these actions.
Tricia McLaughlin, deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, sharply criticized the Miami Herald’s report, calling it a significant journalistic failure. McLaughlin insisted that the DHS is making a concerted effort to perform welfare checks to ensure the safety of these children, countering claims made by the article.
She asserted that President Trump and DHS Secretary Christy Noem are fully committed to ensuring the protection of these children and reuniting them with their families, particularly those children who have gone missing under the Biden administration’s watch.
In response to these allegations, McLaughlin noted that approximately 300,000 children had been lost under Biden’s administration. Meanwhile, Tom Homan, associated with Trump’s border policy, accused Biden’s administration of allowing children to be trafficked.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson described the Miami Herald’s article as “false” and “disgusting.” She urged the publication to apologize for its reporting, emphasizing that the Trump administration is actively working to combat child trafficking.
As of now, the Miami Herald has not responded to requests for comments regarding the administration’s pushback on their story.
