TCT-IMM-007 · Immigration
325,000 migrant children were missing, dead, enslaved, or trafficked
Statement and context
“325,000 children are dead or missing under their watch”; “They’re all dead, missing, or into sex slavery or slavery.”
2024-10-20, town hall, Lancaster, Pennsylvania; repeated at an October 2024 Miami event.
What the evidence shows
DHS OIG identified serious case-management and safety-assurance gaps, but it did not report 325,000 missing children or those outcomes. It found more than 32,000 children failed to appear for immigration hearings and that, as of May 2024, ICE had not issued Notices to Appear to more than 291,000. The audit period was FY2019-FY2023, spanning both administrations. Failure to issue paperwork or appear in court does not establish that a child is missing, dead, or trafficked.
False
Sources and attribution
Tracker research synthesis; inspect the linked evidence and research record.