The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson

Episode: Trafficked, Exploited & Abandoned Migrant Children Missing Under Biden’s Watch
Date: September 8, 2025
Host: Ben Ferguson (Premiere Networks)

Episode Overview

In this hard-hitting episode, Ben Ferguson delves into two pressing issues:

1. The crisis of missing migrant children under the Biden administration, many of whom have ended up trafficked, exploited, or dead.
2. The political battle over crime and immigration enforcement in Chicago, with a focus on pushback against President Trump’s recent efforts.

Ben brings exclusive commentary, direct quotes from officials like Tom Homan, official statistics, and memorable stories to spotlight the alleged failures of the previous administration and the contrasting responses under Trump.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Scandal of Missing Migrant Children (03:15–11:10)

The Scale of the Crisis

• Ben reports that under the Biden administration, the government “lost” track of hundreds of thousands of migrant children who entered the U.S. unaccompanied.
• Official numbers referenced:
  • “Of the 300,000 children… we've located over 23,000 of them.” (Tom Homan, 04:05)
  • An estimated 233,000 children crossed the US–Mexico border alone during Biden’s tenure and then went missing.
  • “470,000 children without parents or guardians crossed into the US illegally between 2021 and 2024, according to new government statistics.” (Ben Ferguson, 08:14)

Horrific Outcomes for Missing Children

• Children have been found dead or forced to work as sex slaves.
• “We found children who have been raped… We're talking about debt bondage… trafficking, debt. We're talking about children that were brought into situations and then threatened and treated like sexual slaves. At least 27 of those children lost their lives.” (Ben Ferguson summarizing HHS/Fox News, 06:15)
• Reports of a two-year-old found alone in Texas and a two-month-old baby abandoned at the border illustrate the dangers and exploitation faced.

Critique of Biden Administration Policies

• Oversight and vetting failures:
  • The administration failed to properly vet “sponsors,” sometimes not even DNA testing adults claiming to be relatives.
  • Poor record-keeping: “What the Biden administration was taking in and putting into our computer systems was not the right information… that may be on purpose.” (Ben Ferguson, 09:30)
• Motive attributed:
  • “They wanted to get rid of the kids as quickly as they could so they could allow for the borders to stay open. They could not handle a backlog…” (Ben Ferguson, 10:05)
• “They didn't care and they knew that there was a problem. The reports clearly show the Biden administration was checking up on the kids and they weren't finding the children or the sponsors or at the address that they were declared to be going to. And what do they do? Nothing to stop it from continuing.” (Ben Ferguson, 10:42)

Contrast with Trump-era Solutions

• Under Trump, enhanced measures: DNA testing, background checks, address verification, and follow-up for every child.
• “President Trump's committed: we're not going to stop until we find every one of them or at least, you know, run every lead down on those 300,000 children.” (Tom Homan, 04:13)

2. The Battle Over Chicago and Immigration Enforcement (11:10–14:44)

Chicago’s Stance and Political Tensions

• Chicago Mayor Johnson and Illinois Governor Pritzker have threatened lawsuits over the Trump administration’s stated plans to ramp up immigration enforcement.
• “Illinois's Governor J.D. Pritzker and the Chicago mayor Johnson have teamed up and are not backing down… angered by the idea of preparations for what they describe as an illegal immigrant roundup…” (Ben Ferguson, 11:36)

Federal Coordination for Enforcement

• Homeland Security requested Defense Department assistance for staging operations at a Chicago-area military base (Naval Station Great Lakes) for anticipated increases in apprehensions.

Trump’s Response

• President Trump, when questioned by a reporter, said:
  • “We're not going to war. We're going to clean up our city. We're going to clean them up so they don't kill five people every weekend. That's not war. That's common sense.” (Donald Trump, quoted by Ben Ferguson, 12:56)
• Ben highlights the media’s framing versus Trump’s messaging:
  • “Isn't it amazing how the media decides to spin this story that somehow Donald Trump is going to war with a American city? No, we're going to war with the criminal legal aliens every day, no matter where they are. And that is the Trump doctrine.” (Ben Ferguson, 14:44)

Tom Homan on Chicago Enforcement

• “We're going to war with illegal aliens. Public safety threats that raped children, that raped citizens, that committed armed robberies, that distribute narcotics that kill Americans. We're at war with the criminal cartels.” (Tom Homan, 00:06 and 13:50)
• Homan claims early operations in Chicago arrested multiple sexual predators and violent offenders:
  • “The first day, we arrested nine sexual predators, most of them child rapists. We arrested nine members of the TDA… two illegal aliens that had a homicide conviction. That was the first day in Chicago.” (Tom Homan, 13:50)
• He directly rebuts the characterization of a “war” on a city, framing it as a war on criminals.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tom Homan on the missing children crisis:

  • “We've located over 23,000 of them… President Trump's committed: we're not going to stop until we find every one of them or at least, you know, run every lead down on those 300,000 children.” (04:05)

• Ben Ferguson on lack of accountability:

  • “They wanted to get rid of the kids as quickly as they could so they could allow for the borders to stay open… they were willing to give these children to virtually anyone, even knowing that many of them were going to die, knowing that many of them were going to be sold into essence, what is sex slavery or bondage or into child labor to work off a debt.” (10:05)

• President Trump (via Ben Ferguson):

  • “We're going to clean it up so they don't kill five people every weekend. That's not war. That's common sense.” (12:56)

• Tom Homan on Chicago enforcement:

  • “We're at war with illegal aliens. Public safety threats that raped children, that raped citizens... we're at war with the criminal cartels.” (13:50)

Key Timestamps

• 00:06 – Tom Homan: “We're going to war with illegal aliens…”
• 03:15 – Story 1: Missing Migrant Children
• 04:05 – Tom Homan: “We've located over 23,000 of them…”
• 06:15–10:42 – Discussion of trafficking, exploitation, vetting failures, and alleged motives
• 11:10 – Story 2: Chicago, immigration, and political blowback
• 12:56 – Trump quote: “That's not war. That's common sense.”
• 13:50 – Tom Homan on Chicago arrests
• 14:44 – Ben Ferguson responds to media narrative

Episode Tone & Language

Direct, unfiltered, and politically pointed—with frequent use of charged language (“deliberately lost,” “trafficked,” “sex slaves,” “war with cartels”), the episode combines data with emotionally impactful stories and a strong contrast between the Biden and Trump approaches. Ben Ferguson not only narrates but editorializes, attributing clear motives and drawing distinctions between administrations.

This summary highlights the episode’s urgent messaging around migrant children and focuses on the framing of political accountability in immigration enforcement, incorporating critical quotes, timestamps, and structured insights for clarity and context.