Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a news conference where she announced that most airline passengers will no longer have to remove their shoes at security checkpoints on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at Reagan National Airport in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
In addition, DHS said in a recent news release that over 59,000 of the 65,000 "backlogged reports" on the children have been worked through, including thousands of "leads" regarding criminal issues. Fahey, who briefly led the agency at the tail end, but also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for DHS, said there’s typically a process to ensure that migrant children are going to the right person.
"What it could look like and normally would look like is if somebody is an unaccompanied minor and they're being sent to, there's somebody that's a sponsor for them, they should be vetting the sponsor, making sure the sponsor is who they say they are, and also having some sort of follow up to make sure they're going where they say their going and things like that," Fahey said.
He also noted how the recent Trump-backed government spending bill, which includes funding for more immigration authorities and tools, could be helpful to busting more exploitative activity.
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National Guard soldiers block protestors during an ICE immigration raid at a nearby cannabis farm on July 10, 2025 near Camarillo, California. (Getty Images/Mario Tama)
"The other part that will help is because the border now, I don't want to say completely shut down, but almost shut down. There's relatively few new people getting through, you know. And anyone getting caught is not being released," he added.
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"You're limiting the incoming, so you are able to deal with the interior, I think, a lot more effectively," he added.
Numerous busts, which oftentimes come from prior information received and even criminal search warrants, were noted by DHS, including during Homeland Security Investigations' worksite enforcement and welfare checks at homes.
Cameron Arcand is a politics writer at Fox News Digital in Washington D.C. Story tips can be sent to Cameron.Arcand@Fox.com and on Twitter: @cameron_arcand
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