America’s Forgotten Children: The Foster Crisis Fueling Human Trafficking

When it comes to human trafficking, the most significant vulnerabilities are often systemic. At the 3rd Annual CPAC International Summit Against Human Trafficking, multiple speakers sounded the alarm on an underreported but devastating truth: the American foster care system is failing American children, failures enabling predators to thrive. 

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem fervently stated that “Foster children are the number one sex-trafficked group in America.” More than 70% of missing foster child episodes go unreported, and an estimated 75,000 are unaccounted for. This bureaucratic oversight has led to a national humanitarian crisis, leaving foster children disproportionately vulnerable and overrepresented among victims of human trafficking, particularly sex trafficking. 

Noem’s voice carried the weight of firsthand experience, rooted in both her professional role and her familial background. Growing up in a family that fostered children gave her an on-the-ground understanding of both the potential and the pitfalls of the system. That emotional tie to the issue made her warning even more urgent. 

Countless speakers connected the dots between trafficking, the previous administration’s negligence, and systemic abuse. Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) recounted a harrowing case in South Carolina: “A specific address appeared repeatedly as a site of sponsorship for immigrant children. It turns out those children were being rented out.” His voice broke as he described the horror. Through just one 17-year-old female victim held captive in the house, law enforcement was able to successfully track down thirteen other predators. And Biggs wasn’t alone. DOJ representatives and survivors alike rallied a clear message that kids are being entrusted to predators, and the foster system is calling it “placement.” 

The problem goes beyond foster care, extending to the negligent mishandling of unaccompanied alien children. According to a recent DHS and ICE report, tens of thousands of migrant children were released into the care of improperly vetted sponsors, some of whom had paid smugglers to provide the children or even fraudulently claimed family ties. The 2016 Trump administration had initially implemented rigorous sponsor screening and biometric verification protocols, but those protections were gutted. The Biden administration initiated a spiral of security failures, dismantling critical measures like DNA testing at the border and selfishly claiming the 45-minute wait time was too burdensome. After further investigation, agents horrifically uncovered sponsors in possession of child sex abuse material, forcing minors into hard labor, and subjecting them to violence, neglect, and even rape. 

ICE spokesperson Laszlo Baksay’s dismay was evident: “This is about the lives of children, and it’s time we treat it with the seriousness it demands.” Under Trump, federal agents are conducting emergency welfare checks to ensure children are in safe, school-enrolled, and non-exploitative environments.  

But hope lies in swift action. Secretary Noem offered a daunting callout challenge: “If every church in America would take in just one child, we would not have any more children in the foster system.” Through law enforcement, community establishment and collaboration, faith restoration, and collective courage, human traffickers will be brought to justice, and foster children will be protected. CPAC leaders echoed this urgency throughout the summit, rallying the audience behind the value that “Children’s safety and security is non-negotiable.” 

This is both a political and moral issue. In a nation as blessed and capable as ours, there is no excuse for losing track of our children, who carry our future. Through cross-sector collaboration and meticulous attention to every detail, we will hold those who exploit children accountable to the full extent of the law.