Federal Government Launches Operation to Find Missing Foster Children, 13 Recovered

The operation builds on ‘Project Hope,’ a similar initiative launched during President Donald Trump’s first term.

The Department of Health and Human Services in Washington on April 29, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

The Trump administration has launched a pilot program to locate missing foster children, and 13 children have already been recovered in Mississippi, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on May 18.

HHS said the program, called “Operation Hope” and first implemented in Mississippi, is a law enforcement-led operation aimed at locating and rescuing missing foster children before predators do.