Biden Admin ‘Lost’ Hundreds of Thousands of Children — RFK Jr. Now Cleaning Up the Mess
RFK Jr. Takes Aim at Child Trafficking Crisis
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made locating approximately 300,000 missing migrant children a top priority for his department. Kennedy has accused the previous administration of allowing HHS to become “a collaborator in child trafficking” during a recent statement about his department’s new direction.
“We have ended HHS…as the vector, the principal vector in this country for child trafficking—and during the Biden administration, HHS became a collaborator in child trafficking and for sex and for slavery, and we have ended that,” Kennedy stated. The new HHS Secretary further emphasized, “And we’re very aggressively going out and trying to find these children, 300,000 children that were lost by the Biden administration.”
A History of Lost Children at the Border
The issue of missing migrant children became a significant concern during the Biden administration, with estimates suggesting up to 500,000 children who crossed the border remain unaccounted for. Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas previously deflected responsibility when questioned about the missing children during congressional testimony.
Mayorkas told lawmakers, “Margaret, we certainly have received reports of children being trafficked, even those as to whom we know where they are. That is outside the responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security.” He explained that DHS transfers unaccompanied minors to HHS within 72 hours as required by federal law.
The Trump administration has made locating these missing children a central focus of its immigration and child welfare policies. Key administration figures, including Stephen Miller, have emphasized that finding these children and ensuring their safety is considered an urgent humanitarian mission.
The massive undertaking involves coordination between multiple federal agencies, including HHS, DHS, and the Department of Justice. Critics of the previous administration’s border policies point to the missing children as evidence of systemic failures in managing the surge of unaccompanied minors who crossed the southern border during the past four years.
Kennedy’s statements represent a significant policy shift within HHS, moving away from what he characterized as facilitation of trafficking toward active prevention and recovery efforts. The department faces considerable challenges in locating children who may have been placed with sponsors who failed verification processes or who may have fallen victim to criminal enterprises.
Border security experts have long warned about the vulnerabilities of unaccompanied minors in the immigration system. The current administration’s focus on this issue signals a renewed commitment to addressing both the humanitarian and security aspects of immigration policy, with particular emphasis on protecting the most vulnerable migrants.
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