Fact Check: Did Democrats lose 360,000 migrant children and turn the government into a child trafficking operation?

Media Bias Fact Check (MBFC) publishes daily vetted fact checks from verified IFCN-approved sources. Each claim is independently reviewed for accuracy and context.


Claimant: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.


Claim: Democrats “lost 360,000 children” and turned the federal government into “the biggest child trafficking operation in world history.”


Rating: FALSE


Explanation: Kennedy distorted a 2024 Department of Homeland Security inspector general report. The report said some unaccompanied minors missed immigration court hearings or had not yet received notices to appear; it did not say hundreds of thousands of children were lost or trafficked. The period reviewed also included both the Biden administration and Trump’s first administration.


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Date: 09/16/2026


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Last Updated on September 16, 2026 by Media Bias Fact Check