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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Alanna Durkin Richer and Valerie Gonzalez

Trump administration identifies 'super-sponsors' of migrant children in a possible prosecution tack

Justice Department Migrant Children - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The Trump administration has identified more than 15,000 cases of adults gaining custody of multiple immigrant children who enter the U.S. without a parent, officials said Thursday, signaling a potential push to prosecute prolific child sponsors.

The Justice Department highlighted cases against three Guatemalan nationals that they say underscore the dangers of improper vetting of sponsors in a program that seeks to unite kids with relatives or family friends after they enter the U.S. Officials said they are investigating numerous other so-called super-sponsors — those who gained custody of more than three unrelated children — to determine whether the sponsors took the kids in fraudulently.

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