A federal watchdog has confirmed what many Americans feared — the Biden administration’s failures at the southern border left tens of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children unaccounted for, with serious risks to their safety. While President Donald Trump is now working to restore order, the damage done during Biden’s tenure continues to unravel.

According to a new report from the Department of Homeland Security inspector general, more than 448,000 unaccompanied minors were transferred to the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services between fiscal years 2019 and 2023. The majority were released to sponsors, but over 31,000 of those release addresses were incomplete or missing altogether.

🚨 BREAKING: New report finds that TENS OF THOUSANDS of unaccompanied minors have gone completely unaccounted for during the Biden admin… https://t.co/Wf6jVA1qDC pic.twitter.com/6zrrmYyiaq

— Mgon 🕊 Christus Rex (@Mgon) March 28, 2025

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could not effectively monitor many of these children after their release. The report warns that ICE wasn’t even aware of the whereabouts of children who fled from HHS custody and often wasn’t notified about sponsor locations.

The inspector general, Joseph Cuffari, said ICE lacked the ability to ensure these minors were safe from trafficking, exploitation or criminal involvement. “Without an ability to monitor the location and status of UACs,” the report reads, “ICE is unable to facilitate court appearances and has no assurance UACs are safe.”

What have they done with the children.

Tens of Thousands of UNACCOMPANIED MINORS are unaccounted for during the Biden Admin. https://t.co/1fUY2543qX

— ❄️☃️❄️Just me👀🛐💟 (@browneyegirl400) March 27, 2025

The oversight failure went beyond missing addresses. As of January 2025, ICE had not issued notices to appear in immigration court for more than 233,000 of the released minors. Of the children who were issued court dates before October 2024, over 43,000 failed to appear.

Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), speaking during a recent House subcommittee hearing, called the situation outrageous. “It’s shameful that even innocent, unaccompanied children were caught in the crosshairs,” Gonzales told Fox News. “Not having answers is unacceptable.”

The Biden administration’s disorganized border policies created a system where vulnerable children vanished into the U.S. without accountability. Cuffari noted that ICE often had to rely on tips to find out what happened to the minors — an approach he said was deeply flawed.