Ohio – A newly announced criminal case in Ohio has intensified scrutiny over the federal government’s handling of unaccompanied migrant children, as Trump administration officials argue that hundreds of thousands of minors who entered the United States during the Biden years were placed at risk through a system they say failed to properly track and protect them.
The controversy reached a new level during a news conference held last week, where Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin revealed that federal authorities have located 146,000 migrant children who were previously considered missing. Despite that progress, he said the government is still searching for a far larger number.
According to Mullin, “nearly 300,000” migrant children remain unaccounted for.
The announcement came on the same day the Department of Justice unveiled charges against three individuals in Ohio accused of participating in an alleged scheme involving unaccompanied migrant minors.
Ohio Case Sparks New Questions
Federal prosecutors charged Maritza Azucena Cahuec Coc, 38, and her brother Carlos Agustin Cahuec Coc, 33, with allegedly taking part in an international smuggling operation that prosecutors say ran between December 2020 and October 2023.
According to the indictment, the pair allegedly submitted fraudulent sponsorship applications to the Office of Refugee Resettlement in order to obtain custody of unaccompanied migrant children.
A third defendant, Gladys Marina Caal Chen, 20, was also charged. Prosecutors allege she made false statements in connection with a sponsorship application involving a migrant minor. Authorities further claim that Chen herself had previously entered the United States through a fraudulent sponsorship arrangement as an unaccompanied child.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the case exposes what federal officials view as a broader problem involving individuals known as “super sponsors”—people who assume responsibility for multiple unrelated migrant children.
Blanche argued that some children placed with such sponsors later become vulnerable to labor trafficking, sexual exploitation, or other forms of abuse.
“We will not accept half measures when it comes to securing the border, protecting American lives and saving children from exploitation,” Blanche told reporters.
Concerns Over the Scale of the Problem
The Ohio case emerged alongside fresh claims from administration officials regarding the overall number of migrant children who entered the country in recent years.
An unaccompanied alien child is defined as someone under the age of 18 who arrives in the United States without legal status and without a parent or legal guardian.
According to figures from the Office of Refugee Resettlement, 468,892 unaccompanied children entered the United States between 2021 and 2024. The yearly totals were 122,731 in 2021, 128,904 in 2022, 118,901 in 2023, and 98,356 in 2024.
By comparison, 22,833 unaccompanied children entered during 2025 after Trump returned to office.
While ORR publishes entry and placement data, it does not maintain publicly available statistics specifically tracking how many migrant children are considered missing.
Mullin blamed the previous administration for what he described as a breakdown in oversight.
He said the Biden administration allowed “450,000 kids to go missing throughout this country,” adding that “President Trump has made it a point to go find these kids.”
Blanche echoed those concerns, arguing that fraudulent sponsorship networks played a significant role in the problem.
“The way that this happened was typically because the criminals calling themselves sponsors trafficked these children to the border, usually committing fraud to do so, and oftentimes the children were abused, assaulted, and certainly exploited,” Blanche said.
“In some cases individuals would sponsor multiple children, which required them to lie to government personnel and on government forms, claiming they were close relatives when in fact they were not.”
Reports of Abuse Draw Attention
The administration also highlighted allegations that some children may have suffered severe abuse after being placed with sponsors.
Mullin referenced ongoing investigations involving disturbing claims made by some minors.
“We’re investigating reports to where some of these kids claim they were raped 6-700 times,” Mullin said.
“I don’t care who you are. I don’t care if you have kids, don’t have kids. I don’t care if you’re liberal, you’re independent, you’re a Democrat, you’re Republican. If you can’t stand for law enforcement to go find these kids, who are you?”
He described the allegations as “horrific” and argued that locating missing children should transcend political divisions.
The secretary also said many of the children who have been found were located in sanctuary cities, though he did not identify specific locations.
Debate Over Immigration Policies Continues
The administration’s claims arrive amid an ongoing political battle over immigration enforcement.
Democrats have repeatedly criticized several Trump immigration policies, arguing they rely too heavily on detention, expanded enforcement powers, and restrictions that may weaken protections for migrants and asylum seekers.
State attorneys general and Democratic lawmakers have challenged a number of those policies in court, particularly efforts involving mandatory detention and measures aimed at jurisdictions with sanctuary policies.
Mullin pushed back against those criticisms, saying Democrats “want to claim that Republicans, because we’re enforcing the laws, it’s inhumane, somehow.”
Meanwhile, federal data shows another trend. Although fewer unaccompanied migrant children are entering government custody under Trump, those who do are remaining there much longer. The average length of care reportedly increased from 30 days during fiscal year 2024 to 117 days in fiscal year 2025. Monthly figures during fiscal year 2026 have approached 180 days.
As the Ohio case moves through the court system, administration officials are using it as evidence that weaknesses in the sponsorship process created opportunities for abuse. While prosecutors must still prove their allegations in court, the indictment has become a focal point in a larger debate over border security, child welfare, and responsibility for tracking vulnerable migrant children once they enter the United States.
Closing the news conference, Blanche emphasized that the issue extends beyond a single criminal case.
“I’m not indicting past leadership right here on this podium,” Blanche told reporters. “But you can also not ignore what was an incredible dereliction of duty at best.”
