Migrant children lost under the Biden administration were later found dead or trafficked, including a specific case of a two-year-old girl from El Salvador. factcheck
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1. Summary of the results
The original statement claims that migrant children lost under the Biden administration were later found dead or trafficked, including a specific case of a two-year-old girl from El Salvador. However, none of the sources provided confirm the specific case of the two-year-old girl from El Salvador [1] [2] [3] [4]. According to some sources, the Department of Homeland Security report found that 32,000 migrant children did not appear for their scheduled immigration court hearings between 2019 and 2023, and that DHS failed to file notices of court dates for an additional 291,000 migrant children [1]. Other sources state that experts say there is no evidence of hundreds of thousands of children being 'now slaves, sex slaves or dead' as claimed by President Trump, and that while some unaccompanied minors have become victims of trafficking or other crimes, the government safely releases most of these children to vetted sponsors [2]. Some sources also report that the Trump Administration has located 13,000 children who came across the border unaccompanied and were lost or placed with unvetted sponsors by the Biden Administration [3], and that the Biden-Harris administration placed over 11,000 migrant children with unvetted sponsors and did not conduct home studies for over 79,000 migrant children under the age of 12 [4].
2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints
A key missing context in the original statement is the definition of "lost" children, which is not clearly defined [5]. Some sources suggest that the number of 'lost' children is not a measure of children being dead or trafficked, but rather a measure of children who could not be reached by phone calls from a government agency [5]. Additionally, the comparison between the Biden and Trump administrations' performance in tracking migrant children is lacking [5]. Alternative viewpoints include the fact that the Biden administration's performance in reaching children is not significantly different from the Trump administration's [5], and that most unaccompanied minors are safely released to vetted sponsors [2]. The role of government agencies in tracking and safeguarding migrant children is also not fully explored [1] [3] [4].
3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement
The original statement may be misleading or exaggerated, as none of the sources provided confirm the specific case of the two-year-old girl from El Salvador [1] [2] [3] [4]. The statement also lacks context and clarity on the definition of "lost" children [5]. Some sources suggest that the claim is part of a larger narrative to criticize the Biden administration's handling of migrant children, which may be politically motivated [4] [6]. The sources that partially support the claim, such as the report that the Biden administration prioritized the release of thousands of migrant children without doing background checks, may benefit the Republican party or conservative groups [6]. On the other hand, sources that contradict the claim, such as the fact that most unaccompanied minors are safely released to vetted sponsors, may benefit the Democratic party or liberal groups [2].