December 8, 2025 09:00 AM PST
(PenniesToSave.com) – Former Trump “border czar” Tom Homan says federal teams working for the Trump administration have rescued more than 62,000 migrant children from sex trafficking, forced labor, and other abusive situations. Homan argues that these rescues show what happens when the federal government treats border security as a child protection issue, not only as an immigration dispute.[1] He also claims that many of these children were originally released into the United States under the Biden administration and were not actively being searched for until Trump returned to office.[1]
The number comes as Americans are still processing reports that federal agencies lost track of tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors after they crossed the southern border. A Department of Homeland Security watchdog previously warned that officials did not have reliable contact information for at least 32,000 migrant children and raised concerns that hundreds of thousands more had no meaningful follow up after release.[2] Those gaps created the conditions for traffickers, labor brokers, and shady sponsors to step in.
This article looks at where these children were found, how federal agents located and removed them, what conditions they faced, and how this new approach compares with earlier handling of unaccompanied minors. The goal is to separate rhetoric from reality and to ask what reforms are needed so that children are protected while the country also maintains control of its borders.
Quick Links
- Which states were most affected by trafficking and child labor rescues?
- How were these children identified and removed from danger?
- What conditions were the children-found-in-when-rescued?
- How does this compare with federal handling under-the-previous-administration
- What long term safeguards-could-prevent-future-exploitation
Which states were most affected by trafficking and child labor rescues?
Although the 62,000 figure is a national total, early accounts suggest that rescues were concentrated in states that either sit directly on the southern border or host large networks of low wage industries that rely heavily on migrant labor. Texas stands out because of the sheer volume of unaccompanied minors who entered through sectors such as the Rio Grande Valley, El Paso, and Del Rio. Many children were first processed near the border, then allowed to travel to sponsors in other parts of the country. When investigators later retraced those placements, they found clusters of cases tied back to addresses and employers in Texas.[1][3]
Large destination states such as Florida, New York, New Jersey, and California also appeared repeatedly in investigations of migrant child labor. Journalists and advocates have documented minors working in farm fields, packing plants, restaurant kitchens, warehouse jobs, and overnight cleaning crews in major metro areas.[3][4] Industrial states in the Midwest, including Illinois, Ohio, and Minnesota, showed similar patterns. Children were discovered in food processing plants, metal fabrication shops, commercial laundries, and other high risk environments that depend on subcontractors and third party staffing firms.[4][5]
These findings match what reporters and researchers have described for several years. Investigations have located migrant children in dangerous jobs in virtually every state, not only in traditional border regions.[3][4] That makes it more plausible that large scale rescue efforts would span the entire country and not be limited to a single region.
How were these children identified and removed from danger?
Homan credits the rescues to a focused strategy that treated every unaccompanied minor as a potential trafficking victim unless proven otherwise.[1] According to his description, federal teams began by cross checking internal lists of unaccompanied children with outside information about addresses, phone numbers, and employers. The goal was to flag patterns that looked suspicious, such as one sponsor address receiving multiple unrelated children, or young teens listing work sites that obviously required heavy labor.[1][3]
From there, Homeland Security Investigations and partner agencies reportedly launched targeted checks that combined field work with data analysis. Agents went to residential addresses to confirm who was living there. They inspected factories, farms, construction sites, and warehouses where children were suspected of working. In some cases, local police or school officials raised the first alarm after noticing that a child was exhausted, frequently absent, or injured in ways that did not match the explanation given by adults.[4][5]
Once a child was identified as at risk, federal officials removed them from the location, placed them in emergency protective custody, and conducted interviews to understand how they arrived there. That process often revealed networks of smugglers, labor brokers, and fraudulent sponsors who had tapped into weaknesses in the federal placement system.[3][5] Supporters of the new approach argue that this type of proactive enforcement was missing when arrivals were at their peak and agencies were overwhelmed.
What conditions were the children found in when rescued?
Reports from journalists, advocates, and federal inspectors describe conditions that ranged from exploitative to outright dangerous. Many children were living in overcrowded homes with adults who were not close relatives and who had financial control over their movements. Some were sleeping in makeshift spaces such as basements, garages, or partitioned living rooms, with little privacy and limited access to basic health care or schooling.[3][4]
At work, children were found in factories that manufactured auto parts, processed meat, assembled household goods, and cleaned industrial equipment. Others labored in commercial bakeries, laundries, construction sites, landscaping crews, and night shift warehouse jobs.[4][6] These are environments where heavy machinery, chemicals, sharp tools, and long hours create serious safety risks even for adults. For minors who often did not receive proper training, the dangers were far greater. Some accounts include children losing fingers, suffering serious burns, and experiencing chronic exhaustion.
Investigations by major news organizations have documented migrant children working in violation of long standing child labor laws in all fifty states, often for wages that were lower than what adults received for the same jobs.[3][4] The work left many minors too tired to attend school, which meant they fell further behind and became more dependent on the adults exploiting them. These conditions fit what labor experts describe as a “fissured workplace,” in which large brands benefit indirectly from cheap labor while actual employment is handled by smaller subcontractors that are easier to replace.[6]
How does this compare with federal handling under the previous administration?
To understand why there were so many children to rescue in the first place, it helps to look at the placement system that existed before Trump returned to the White House. Under Biden, unaccompanied minors were released to sponsors after brief stays in federal shelters. Oversight was limited, and follow up contact with many children never occurred. The Department of Homeland Security watchdog found that officials did not know the current whereabouts of at least 32,000 children and raised concerns that hundreds of thousands more had minimal contact after release.[2]
At the same time, investigative reporters documented how many of these minors were ending up in dangerous jobs. New York Times reporting described children as young as 12 working overnight shifts cleaning factories and slaughterhouses, or packaging food on assembly lines.[4] In some cases, warnings from front line staff, non profit groups, and even federal employees were reportedly ignored or handled slowly.[3][4] Enforcement against employers relied heavily on voluntary compliance, and penalties for major corporations were limited.
Supporters of the Trump approach say that these earlier failures reflect a mindset that prioritized rapid processing and political optics over long term child safety. They argue that rescues now taking place demonstrate the benefits of pairing tighter border control with aggressive investigations into where children actually end up.[1][6] Critics counter that both administrations struggled with surging numbers and argue that broader economic forces, such as demand for low wage labor, also bear responsibility.[5]
What long term safeguards could prevent future exploitation?
If the United States wants to prevent a repeat of this crisis, it will need stronger systems in place from the moment a child arrives. One major proposal involves more rigorous vetting of sponsors, including criminal background checks for all adults in the household, verification of income sources, and follow up home visits after placement. Child welfare experts say that unaccompanied minors should be treated more like foster children, which would require more resources and a clear legal framework for oversight.[3][5]
Another reform would strengthen enforcement of child labor laws. The U.S. Department of Labor has already reported a sharp increase in illegal child labor cases in recent years.[5] Advocates want higher fines for companies that benefit from unlawful hiring, as well as legal mechanisms that hold large corporations responsible for abuses that occur in subcontracted facilities. This approach would make it harder for firms to outsource risk while keeping the profits.[6]
Finally, policymakers are exploring better data sharing between immigration authorities, labor inspectors, and state child welfare agencies. A more integrated system could flag warning signs earlier, such as a sponsor who repeatedly receives minors or a factory that shows up in multiple investigations. For conservatives who care deeply about both border security and protecting children, these safeguards represent a way to align enforcement, compassion, and accountability.
Final Thoughts
The claim that 62,000 migrant children have been rescued from sex trafficking and forced labor is dramatic, but it sits on top of a very real crisis that has been building for years.[1][2] Investigations have shown that federal systems designed to protect minors often failed in practice, leaving children vulnerable to exploitation in nearly every state.[3][4] The new focus on finding and removing those children from harm is an important step, yet it also highlights how much damage was allowed to occur before these efforts began.
For many Americans, the debate is no longer simply about border numbers or partisan talking points. It is about whether the government can be trusted to safeguard children who cross the border alone. A serious response will require more than a single enforcement surge. It will demand sustained investment in oversight, stronger labor enforcement, consequences for bad actors, and a willingness to admit that prior policies from both parties fell short.[4][5][6]
If those lessons are taken seriously, it may be possible to build an immigration system that protects the country and protects children at the same time. If they are not, the risk remains that future headlines will once again describe missing minors, underage factory workers, and a political class that was slow to act.
Works Cited
AllSides News Team. “Up to 323,000 Migrant Children Missing in US, DHS Watchdog Finds.” AllSides, 22 Aug. 2024, www.allsides.com/story/immigration-323000-migrant-children-missing-us-dhs-watchdog-finds.
King, Ryan. “Trump Admin Has Rescued 62K Migrant Kids from Sex Trafficking, Child Labor, Border Czar Homan Says.” New York Post, 7 Dec. 2025, nypost.com/2025/12/07/us-news/trump-admin-has-rescued-62k-migrant-kids-from-sex-trafficking-child-labor-border-czar-homan-says/.
Merrefield, Clark. “How a Team from Reuters Investigated Child Labor Abuses in the American South.” The Journalist’s Resource, 22 Mar. 2023, journalistsresource.org/media/child-labor-reuters/.
“USA: Investigation Reveals Migrant Children Working in Factories Across the US in Violation of Child Labour Laws.” Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, 2023, www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/usa-investigation-reveals-migrant-children-working-in-factories-across-the-us-in-violation-of-child-labour-laws-incl-co-comments/.
Weil, David. “Addressing America’s Migrant Child Labor Crisis.” Global Workplace Law & Policy (Wolters Kluwer Legal Blogs), 22 May 2023, legalblogs.wolterskluwer.com/global-workplace-law-and-policy/addressing-americas-migrant-child-labor-crisis/.
Wulfhorst, Ellen. “How U.S. Policy Drives Child Migrants into Dangerous Jobs.” Center for Public Integrity, 31 Mar. 2023, publicintegrity.org/inequality-poverty-opportunity/immigration/how-u-s-policy-drives-childhood-migration-into-dangerous-jobs/.