More is coming to light about the handling of unaccompanied alien children under President Joe Biden’s administration.
Approximately 450,000 unaccompanied alien children were smuggled into the country under the Biden administration and placed with sponsors.
On Tuesday, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee that an investigation into the Biden administration found that they paid individuals to act as sponsors for unaccompanied alien children, with the knowledge that those individuals were traffickers.
“So, under that administration, we not only had children that were in this country as a part of a [government] program, [but the] government was paying individuals that were knowingly trafficking them and abusing them. That has stopped,” said Noem.
Noem said their agency has located about 145,000 unaccompanied alien children. Last December, that number was just over 129,000.
Throughout mid-to-late 2024, the Biden administration denied claims that their administration had lost track of over 300,000 unaccompanied alien children. These claims stemmed from a DHS report issued in August 2024. Officials at the time said the lack of knowledge concerning these children’s whereabouts didn’t mean the children were missing.
Last March, the Trump administration announced the discovery of a backlog of over 65,000 reports regarding unaccompanied alien children who came into the country under the Biden administration. By July, HHS processed over 59,000 of those reports; over 4,000 investigative leads on crime emerged from these reports, including for fraud and human trafficking.
Last November, the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) issued a report on Biden administration data from 2021 and 2022 revealing Health and Human Services (HHS) lost contact and couldn’t determine the safety status of nearly half of all unaccompanied alien children transferred into sponsor custody. CIS is engaged in multiple Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits against HHS to obtain more data on these unaccompanied alien minors under the Biden administration.
That same month, ICE launched an initiative to partner with state and local law enforcement to conduct welfare checks on unaccompanied alien children. DHS asserts that “many” of these unaccompanied alien children were placed with smugglers and sex traffickers acting as sponsors.
Last summer, Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ02) participated in a House Committee on Homeland Security hearing on the Biden administration’s hotline for unaccompanied alien children. Testimony revealed the Biden administration assigned one staffer to man the hotline. There was no information to be found about the number of hours that lone staffer worked.
Ali Hopper, president and founder of GUARD Against Trafficking, alleged in her testimony that from August 2023 to January 2025, 65,000 calls alleging neglect and abuse went unanswered on that hotline.
Approximately one dozen pregnant unaccompanied alien children have been housed in one Texas facility dedicated to their case type since last summer. At least half became pregnant as a result of rape, according to unnamed officials who contacted Texas Public Radio. The youngest among those children are 13.
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Tucson Border Patrol Specialty Units and Homeland Security Investigations agents have arrested an illegal immigrant wanted by the Mexican government for smuggling weapons across the border.
“Gun runner runs out of luck. The arm of the law caught up to a Mexican arms smuggler when Tucson Border Patrol Specialty Units from Casa Grande teamed up with Homeland Security Investigations to arrest a man wanted by the Government of Mexico,” said Chief Patrol Agent (CPA) of the Tucson Sector Sean McGoffin on X.
Gun runner runs out of luck.
The arm of the law caught up to a Mexican arms smuggler when Tucson Border Patrol Specialty Units from Casa Grande teamed up with Homeland Security Investigations to arrest a man wanted by the Government of Mexico.
The Chief Patrol Agent added that the man arrested was living in Phoenix illegally and was handed over to Mexican ‘Federales’ or La Agencia de Investigación Criminal who were shown in a posted image in uniform with their backs turned and faces obscured along with HSI Agents and the suspect. McGoffin added, “Now he will face the music in Mexico, as he was promptly removed from the U.S. into the custody of Mexican Officials.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) hosted a press conference Friday morning with law enforcement partners in Tucson highlighting DHS and interagency efforts to interdict firearms being smuggled into Mexico.
CBP’s Director of Field Operations for Tucson Guadalupe Ramirez, who led the presser, told reporters that the Department of Homeland Security alongside local and federal partners have in recent days successfully “stopped child abduction, interdicted criminals fleeing prosecution, interdicted illegal contraband such as controlled substances, precursors, arms, and recovered myriad of other violations involving currency and stolen vehicles.”
He added, “Our successful interdiction and seizures play a critical role in protecting America’s borders, the national security by preventing illegal weapons, reaching dangerous criminal networks in Mexico. CBP has the authority for departure control of any person, baggage vehicle or material departing the United States and all are subject to inspection and search by CBP officers to ensure compliance with applicable outbound laws.”
Ramirez concluded, “Together with our partners, we’ll continue to target and examine high risk outbound conveyance destined to Mexico, we’ll increase outbound interdiction focused on weapons and currency trafficking of weapons and ammunition intended for terrorism. It is not just a border violation, it is a direct act of supporting terrorism that threatens national security and international security. Engaging in weapons trafficking, particularly to support designated foreign terrorist organizations comes with severe legal consequences including terrorism related charges and long sentences and financial penalties.”
Brendan Iber, Special Agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) noted during the conference that the ATF has “determined that cartels prefer large caliber and or belt-fed rifles such as the Ohio Ordinance M2 50 caliber rifle, the Ohio Ordinance M240 7.62 millimeter, the FN M249 5.56 millimeter, and the Barrett M82 50 caliber Semi-Automatic rifle.”
He continued, “These cartels and terrorist organizations are often responsible for the most heinous violent crimes affecting the communities and neighborhoods of the United States. Under President Trump and Attorney General Bondi’s leadership, and since January 20th of this year, ATF has prevented nearly 9,700 firearms from falling into the hands of dangerous criminals or terrorists.” Iber added, “Since the announcement from Attorney General Bondi earlier in the week of the 9,700 firearms, I will tell you here in Arizona alone, that number is now up to 11,000.”
During Tuesday’s House Homeland Security Committee hearing, Arizona Republican Congressman Eli Crane (CD-2) laid bare Democrats’ intent to use illegal immigration to increase “headcount” in their congressional districts to manipulate redistricting. As a part of his remarks, Crane played video footage of Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) outright confirming this practice.
During the committee hearing, Crane asked Lora Ries, Director, Border Security and Immigration Center for The Heritage Foundation, to “briefly explain what liberal states stand to gain from mass illegal immigration and unchecked parole.”
Ries answered, “Part of it is headcount.”
She explained, “They’re (illegal immigrants) counted in the census even though non-citizens can’t vote and are not supposed to vote. And then those numbers are used for redistricting in Congress and then in turn those same numbers are also used for the presidential electoral college votes.”
Crane followed up, “Would you agree ma’am that redistricting is a major political outcome for Democrats welcoming migrant caravans into their local communities?” To which Reis replied, “Yes, it gives them more headcount and therefore more districts.”
Rep. Crane then asked, “Would you agree illegal immigration for redistricting is not what the founders intended under Article 1, Section 2, Clause 1 of the Constitution regarding congressional redistricting?” Reis agreed.
The congressman then played a twenty-second clip of New York Democrat and former Homeland Security Committee member, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, who said, “I’m from Brooklyn, New York. We have a diaspora that can absorb (laughs) a significant number of these migrants and I… that, you know… When I hear colleagues talk about uh, you know, the doors of the inn being closed… um ‘no room in the inn.’ I’m saying you know I… I need more people in my district but just for redistricting purposes and those members could clearly fit here.”
Crane noted, “That was Rep. Yvette Clark, a Democrat from New York, from January 8th 2024. Her words outlined Biden’s failed plans for illegal immigration to gain political influence.”
Speaking to Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the America Immigration Council and Democrats on the Committee, Crane concluded, “I find it interesting as I sit here and listen to you blame President Trump and attack President Trump, you know, for saying to the American people that he was going to protect the American people, he was going to put them first, and he was going to implement policies to fix the mess created by the Biden administration. And I just find it rich that you’re attacking President Trump for doing exactly what the American people wanted, not the individual who caused this problem. And sadly, if you guys don’t figure this issue out, you’re going to lose the next election as well.”
Sharing a video of the moment on X, Crane added in a post, “It’s actually really bad. Dems utilized the border crisis to pad their numbers ahead of redistricting. Listen for yourself:”
It’s actually really bad.
Dems utilized the border crisis to pad their numbers ahead of redistricting.
