Fact check: How many children were removed from foster families by ICE in 2023 and 2024?

1. Summary of the results

The analyses reveal that specific data on the number of children removed from foster families by ICE in 2023 and 2024 is not readily available in official government sources. While ICE maintains comprehensive enforcement and removal statistics, these do not break down removals by the specific category of children in foster care ^{[1] [2]}.

The sources do provide related information about unaccompanied alien children released to sponsors by state, but this data tracks placements rather than removals from foster care ^[3]. The only concrete case documented involves a 17-year-old Honduran boy who was removed from a foster home in Pensacola, Florida, by ICE agents in June 2025 ^{[4] [5]}.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements emerge from the analyses that weren't addressed in the original question:

• A national child welfare initiative was launched by the Department of Homeland Security in February 2025 to locate and verify the safety of at-risk children, uncovering widespread abuse and exploitation of unaccompanied minors placed with improperly vetted sponsors ^[6]. This suggests systemic issues in child placement and monitoring.
• The Florida case represents a potential policy shift, as the decision to report the teenager to ICE may have violated a 30-year-old state rule prohibiting child welfare workers from placing undocumented children in immigration custody ^[5]. This indicates that such removals may have been historically uncommon or against established protocols.
• Child welfare advocates have condemned the reporting of children to ICE, suggesting there's significant opposition from organizations like the Young Center to such practices ^[4].

The question focuses narrowly on numbers without considering the broader policy implications, legal frameworks, or the welfare impact on affected children.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself doesn't contain misinformation, but it assumes that systematic data collection exists for this specific category of removals. The analyses suggest that either:

• Such removals are rare enough that they're not tracked as a separate statistical category
• The data exists but is not publicly reported in accessible formats
• The practice may be inconsistent with established child welfare policies

The question's framing could inadvertently suggest that removing children from foster families is a routine ICE practice, when the available evidence indicates it may be exceptional and potentially controversial. The single documented case from Florida generated significant criticism from child welfare advocates, suggesting this is not standard operating procedure ^{[4] [5]}.