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Officials from the White House and the Trump administration are strongly defending themselves against claims of “false reporting” made by the Miami Herald, which alleged that the administration is focusing on deporting migrant foster children.
In a piece published on Wednesday titled “Trump administration targets Florida foster kids, migrant youth for deportations,” the Miami Herald claimed that “the Trump administration’s mass-deportation effort is now affecting vulnerable children who were previously protected, and is burdening the social welfare agencies that care for them.”
The report stated that “since Donald Trump started his second term, his administration has instructed immigration agents to focus on unaccompanied minors, moved to cut funding for their legal aid, and dispatched Homeland Security officials to homes where these children are placed to perform welfare checks.”
Additionally, the article suggested that the Trump administration is expediting deportations for minors who are known victims of abuse, neglect, or abandonment.
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Left: Trump Border Czar Tom Homan. Right: A migrant with ICE paperwork after being released at a church shelter for asylum seekers, May 19, 2019, in El Paso, Texas. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images and Mario Tama/Getty Images)
“The new guidance fails to protect those children who cannot apply for lawful permanent residency due to a lack of available visas — especially now that there is a significant backlog for green cards,” the Miami Herald stated.
However, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, quickly dismissed the Miami Herald’s claims, labeling the story as “an absolute embarrassment to journalism.”
“This report is entirely false,” McLaughlin asserted.
Against the claims made by the Miami Herald, McLaughlin emphasized that DHS is “proactively ensuring welfare checks are conducted to keep these children safe and prevent their exploitation.”
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Left: Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Right: ICE agents. (DHS and ICE)
She mentioned that President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem “seriously prioritize the safety of children and are collaborating with law enforcement to locate the hundreds of thousands of migrant children lost under the Biden administration.”
In reaction to the article, the Department of Homeland Security’s official account on X noted that around 300,000 unaccompanied children were reported as lost during the Biden administration.
DHS confirmed that Trump and Noem are focusing on “reuniting the lost children from the Biden administration.”
Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, also commented on X, stating that “under Joe Biden’s leadership, hundreds of thousands of migrant children were trafficked across the border, many ending up with predators and in forced labor situations.”
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The White House and its north lawn, captured on June 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
“We are working to rescue the children that Joe Biden has neglected. The Miami Herald should focus on reporting that,” added Homan.
Additionally, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson described the story as “disgusting and misleading.”
Jackson told Fox News Digital that “the Miami Herald should apologize for their outrageous and incorrect reporting.” She stated, “The Trump administration is dedicated to locating the hundreds of thousands of kids that Joe Biden left vulnerable to traffickers, pedophiles, and forced servitude. Yet, it seems the Miami Herald prefers to protect these failed policies rather than present the truth.”
The Miami Herald did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
