Tom Homan says federal teams from ICE, the FBI, and the Office of Refugee Resettlement have tracked down more than 145,000 unaccompanied children who entered the United States, part of a group exceeding 300,000 that were placed with sponsors under the Biden administration.
Border Czar Tom Homan announced on Friday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement worked alongside the FBI and the Office of Refugee Resettlement to locate a staggering number of unaccompanied alien children. He put the count at more than 145,000 found so far, out of the more than 300,000 who were placed with sponsors without proper vetting.
The dedicated, talented, and compassionate men and women of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Office of Refugee Resettlement at U.S. Department of Health and Human Services continue to tirelessly to run down hundreds of thousands of leads and work numerous investigations to locate more than 300,000 unaccompanied alien children that the Biden Administration turned over to unvetted sponsors, lost track of, and weren’t looking forward. Through their outstanding efforts, they have so far been able to locate more than 145,000!
“President Trump promised that we would find these children,” Homan added. “And under his strong leadership and with his unwavering support, the patriots at these, and other partner, agencies have been—and will continue to do—just that.” The statement credits coordinated investigative work and emphasizes the scale of the task federal teams have taken on.
Homan was sent to Minnesota to lead ICE operations in that state after federal agents were involved in a fatal shooting of two Minneapolis residents. While there he held a press conference and used the platform to outline ongoing efforts, and to explain why federal coordination was necessary on such a large caseload.
At that event he sharply criticized Democratic officials and past administrations for policies and choices that, in his view, produced the chaos federal agents are now trying to fix. Homan said many of the children had been turned over to unvetted sponsors and that agencies were left to track them down amid a web of incomplete records and disputed handoffs.
The numbers underscore the logistical nightmare facing ICE and partner agencies: finding, confirming, and securing children who were dispersed across the country. Investigations require running down leads, verifying identities, and coordinating with state and local authorities to ensure children are safe and accounted for.
From a Republican perspective, Homan framed the work as evidence that priorities must shift toward enforcement, accountability, and thorough vetting at the border. He argued that locating these children vindicates promises to bring order to an overwhelmed system and to hold those responsible for mismanagement to account.
Those federal teams deserve attention for the scale and persistence of their work, but the count also highlights how many remain unlocated and how much follow-up is required. The announcement serves as both a report of progress and a warning that the system broken under past policies continues to demand resources and oversight.
Editor’s Note: Democrat politicians and their radical supporters will do everything they can to interfere with and threaten ICE agents enforcing our immigration laws. This note accompanied the official statements and underscores the political tension surrounding enforcement operations.
