Border Czar Tom Homan announced on February 12, 2026, that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) located 3,364 previously unaccompanied migrant children in Minnesota who had not been accounted for under prior federal tracking efforts. The announcement came during a press conference marking the conclusion of “Operation Metro Surge,” a large‑scale immigration enforcement initiative in the Twin Cities region.

Homan claimed that the children were identified as part of broader enforcement actions and credited the effort to leadership and coordination under President Donald Trump’s administration, asserting that earlier efforts under the Biden administration had not prioritized locating those missing migrant minors. 

The Minnesota operation, which deployed thousands of federal immigration agents, also resulted in over 4,000 arrests of individuals whom the administration described as dangerous criminal aliens, according to Homan. He highlighted cooperation with state and local law enforcement as a factor in the outcomes. 

The revelation touches on wider debates over how unaccompanied children are tracked after crossing the U.S. border. A 2024 Department of Homeland Security inspector general report noted significant gaps in oversight of unaccompanied minors following placement with sponsors, with tens of thousands unaccounted for at that time. However, the precise number and status of such children have been subject to differing interpretations and reporting challenges. 

Critics of the Minnesota operation have raised concerns about the federal enforcement tactics used during the surge, but Homan maintained that the recovery of unaccompanied migrant children reflects renewed focus on both public safety and humanitarian outcomes. 

Federal and local authorities continue to process cases and coordinate follow‑up, urging the public to rely on verified law enforcement channels for information and cautioning against engaging with unconfirmed claims circulating online.