Trump’s White House To Crack Down On Biden’s Human Trafficking Crisis
President Donald Trump’s administration is taking decisive steps to combat human trafficking, emphasizing a crackdown on the exploitation of unaccompanied minors. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller recently underscored this commitment, stating, “We’ve seen, as you know, half a million children trafficked over a four-year period in the United States. This administration is going to investigate every instance of child trafficking, labor trafficking, s–x trafficking, child smuggling, and all the attendant crimes involved in that. And our message to everyone in the country is to cooperate fully with Immigration and Customs Enforcement so that we can end the scourge of child trafficking and child abuse that has been endemic these last four years.”
The administration’s efforts come as the southern border remains a flashpoint for illegal immigration. Testimony presented during a recent congressional hearing exposed failures under the Biden-Harris administration to protect unaccompanied children. HHS whistleblower Tara Rodas testified that the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) has enabled traffickers to exploit minors by releasing children to unvetted sponsors. “Child trafficking has evolved into an international syndicate of gangs and cartels that is highly organized and very efficient,” Rodas said. “Sadly, due to the failed open border policies of the Biden-Harris administration, we have delivered these unaccompanied children to criminals, traffickers, and members of transnational criminal organizations, who are using the UC Program as a white glove delivery service of children.”
A report from the Department of Homeland Security detailed how more than 291,000 unaccompanied minors were not issued court notices between 2019 and 2024. During this period, more than 85,000 children disappeared after being placed with sponsors, according to lawmakers. Retired Border Patrol agent J.J. Carrell testified that criminal groups are exploiting this chaos for organ harvesting, stating, “Organ harvesting is real. To think that it’s not… this federal government’s bringing children over, that are being lost, sexually mutilated, raped, murdered, and then we’re shocked or appalled that there could be organ harvesting.”
Lisa, an anti-human trafficking advocate, shared that nearly all the trafficking rings her organization investigates now involve migrant girls. She said, “The ads exploded within the first three months of the border being open. We started noticing new sites and ads in Spanish.” Her nonprofit has worked with law enforcement to identify traffickers and rescue victims.
Congressional Republicans, including Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX), are demanding accountability from DHS and ORR. Lawmakers argue that Biden-Harris policies have incentivized smugglers and cartels, creating what Rodas described as a “logistical chain of their child trafficking operation.”
