Donald Trump’s modus operandi for tracking half a million migrant children: All you need to know

The Trump administration has launched a sweeping initiative to track down over 450,000 migrant children who entered the United States unaccompanied during Joe Biden’s presidency. Officials claim the move is aimed at safeguarding the children, particularly those placed with adult sponsors such as relatives or family friends. But immigration advocates fear it could lead to surveillance, intimidation, and deportation of undocumented caretakers.
Rights groups have sounded the alarm over the deployment of Homeland Security and FBI agents to conduct door-to-door checks and interviews. They describe the effort as an intimidation campaign targeting families, with potential consequences including the deportation of undocumented sponsors.
“Now you have a situation where the government is checking on the wellness of children and encountering their undocumented parents and deporting their parents,” said Mary Miller Flowers, policy director at the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights. “I don't know what about that is good for children.”
The Trump way of tracking migrant children:

A senior official from the department of health and human services (HHS) revealed that since 2023, around 65,000 complaints have been filed regarding unaccompanied minors—ranging from sponsor misconduct to children reportedly going missing. Of these, about 450 cases have been referred to law enforcement this year alone. In the past two months, around 100 children have been removed from their sponsors and placed back in federal custody, often in private shelters.
One particularly disturbing case emerged in Cleveland, where a man living in the US illegally claimed custody of a 14-year-old Guatemalan girl using a forged birth certificate. He falsely said he was her brother, and federal authorities later discovered he had sexually assaulted her. The man pleaded guilty to sexual battery and was sentenced to eight years in prison. He now faces additional charges, including identity theft and smuggling.
The department of justice has confirmed it is investigating suspicious patterns of guardianship, especially involving individuals dubbed “super sponsors” who have taken custody of over a dozen children. These reviews often involve armed law enforcement officers conducting in-person welfare checks across the country.
In a statement, the FBI said, “Protecting children is a critical mission,” adding that it is working with federal, state, and local agencies. HHS echoed this position, stating: “We’re combing through every report, every detail — because protecting children isn’t optional.”
For years, the US government has allowed adults to sponsor unaccompanied minors, but recent watchdog reports have raised concerns about fraud and lax screening. The Biden administration introduced reforms to strengthen vetting, including enhanced training and monitoring, but Trump-era officials argue the system remains vulnerable to exploitation.
While many children have successfully reunited with legitimate caregivers, growing anxiety in migrant communities reflects concerns that welfare visits may be a pretext for immigration enforcement. Even families who followed legal procedures worry they could now be targeted.