Tom Homan says federal agents found thousands of missing children in Minnesota. Here’s a fact check
White House border czar Tom Homan, without offering further explanation, claimed the federal immigration operation in Minnesota uncovered thousands of missing children in the state, but it’s likely related to a much larger number the administration has been touting for a few years.
“ICE here, in this state have located 3,364 missing, unaccompanied alien children. Children the last administration lost and weren’t even looking for,” Homan said on Thursday, while announcing plans to end Operation Metro Surge.
Vice President JD Vance said in late 2024 that Homeland Security effectively lost 320,000 unaccompanied migrant children. That claim was fact-checked by the Associated Press and USA Today — both said the claim misrepresents or distorts data.
A federal report found more than 320,000 children either failed to appear for their immigration hearings or didn’t receive a notice to appear in court. It does not say the children were lost — essentially, they’re unaccounted for.
The report noted that more than 291,000 unaccompanied migrant children had not, as of May 2024, received a notice to appear in court. Additionally, more than 32,000 unaccompanied migrant children got a notice to appear but then failed to show up for immigration court hearings. Those figures came from ICE and covered a period from October 2018 to September 2023. During that period there were a total of 448,820 unaccompanied children released by ICE to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement.
Plus, President Joe Biden only entered the White House partway through this period. It includes approximately 15 months when Trump was president and does not specify how many children arrived in the U.S. under each president.
Experts say there are many reasons why the children might not have appeared for hearings or received a notice to appear in the first place. For example, they only get a notice to appear when removal proceedings against them have begun, and if ICE hasn’t started that removal process, they wouldn’t have gotten a notice in the first place.
A lack of communication between government agencies could mean a notice is sent to the wrong address if it has been updated with one agency and not another. A child’s guardian may be unable to take them to court, perhaps because they live on the other side of the state. The report does not provide any explanations.
Immigration experts said it’s not a missing kids problem; it is a missing paperwork problem.
So where are the kids? A Homeland Security refugee program likely sent them to foster care, shelters or to live with other family members.
Removal proceedings may be initiated by ICE and the Department of Justice. Some children are able to stay in the U.S. legally if they qualify for asylum, special visas for victims of abuse, trafficking and other crimes, or other types of immigration relief. In those cases, removal proceedings may never start.
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