JD Vance claim that Homeland Security 'lost' 320,000 children distorts report | Fact check

JD Vance claim: Homeland Security ‘effectively lost’ 320,000 children

“Right now in this country … we have 320,000 children that the Department of Homeland Security has effectively lost.”

This distorts a key finding in an August 2024 report from the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general. It found Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been unable to keep track of all unaccompanied minors released from government custody.

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The claim combines two numbers in the report. More than 32,000 unaccompanied migrant children failed to appear for their immigration court hearings between 2019-23 – a period spanning the presidencies of Donald Trump and Joe Biden, according to the report. It said, "ICE was not able to account for the location of all (unaccompanied migrant children) who were released by HHS and did not appear as scheduled in immigration court."

The report also found more than 291,000 unaccompanied children who as of May 2024 had not been served notices to appear in court by ICE or had court dates scheduled for them.

The report found the number of unaccompanied children who missed their court dates may have been higher than 32,000 had ICE issued notices or scheduled court dates for those children. But it does not say those children were “lost.”

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: JD Vance claim that Homeland Security 'lost' 320,000 children distorts report | Fact check