President Donald Trump marked National Missing Children’s Day on May 25 by pledging to use federal, state, and local resources to find missing children and crack down on traffickers who exploit them.
The White House message centered heavily on unaccompanied migrant children. Trump accused the previous administration of allowing “hundreds of thousands” of migrant children to become lost or placed with unvetted sponsors. He said many unaccompanied minors crossed the border “alone, frightened, and vulnerable” before traffickers and smugglers exploited them.
“My Administration is acting with unwavering resolve to reverse this injustice and bring each of these children home,” Trump said.
Trump said his administration has launched an initiative with state and local governments to find missing children and safely return them to their home countries. He also said ICE officers have targeted “illegal alien predators” who prey on children and fuel human smuggling operations.
Online Networks Target Children
The message comes as child trafficking and online exploitation remain major concerns for law enforcement and child safety advocates.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, FBI Dallas warned parents, guardians, and teachers about violent online networks such as “764,” which target children through gaming and social media platforms. FBI Dallas described the networks as a growing safety threat and said members often pose as friends before coercing minors into sharing personal information or explicit images.
FBI Dallas said “764” and similar networks operate globally, including in North Texas. The Bureau said members may target children and other at-risk people for sexual gratification, hatred, or a desire for chaos.
Traffickers Exploit Vulnerable Children
The risk extends beyond organized online networks.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Lara Logan’s latest episode of Going Rogue examined how traffickers exploit neurodivergent children and young adults. In the episode, a Texas mother said traffickers targeted her daughter multiple times, including through Facebook, and that her daughter went missing for two years before Homeland Security became involved.
A separate trafficking case in Houston also underscored the danger. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, a federal jury convicted Jonathan Smith-Byrd, 35, on sex-trafficking and coercion counts after prosecutors said he used violence, threats, and coercion to force five women into commercial sex acts over nearly nine years. Three of the victims were children when he trafficked them, prosecutors said.
National Missing Children’s Day
National Missing Children’s Day encourages parents, guardians, caregivers, and others concerned with child safety to prioritize the well-being of children and continue efforts to reunite missing children with their families, according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
“As we commemorate this National Missing Children’s Day, we hold the children who have yet to come home close in our hearts and remain firm in our promise to their families that we will never stop fighting for their return,” Trump said. “We will chase every lead, pursue every investigation, and leave no stone unturned until America’s children are safe, protected, and free.”
People can report information about missing children to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.
