He said there are no protocols or safety mechanisms in place for these children.
Texas Department of Public Safety Lieutenant Chris Olivarez said over 100 unaccompanied minors have crossed into the U.S. from Mexico in a week. He stated that there are few protections in place for children transported by criminal human smuggling networks, many of which are hired by the children’s family members to send them to the United States. These human smugglers, known as “coyotes,” often abandon the children once they make it across the border, where Border Patrol agents and Texas state workers are likely to intercept them.
One of the children, a 4-year-old girl, had a note with her mother’s name and phone number, who had previously entered the United States without her. The woman had hired human smugglers in hopes of a reunion with her child.
“I found a coyote and I paid for them to bring her to me,” the woman told reporters. “She came alone. It was just the coyote. The last time I talked to my daughter was Saturday, and I haven’t heard anything since they told me the coyote had already handed her over to another coyote, but I don’t know anything else about her.”
The Texas DPS officials said this is common, and that the trend of unaccompanied minors was likely to get worse, attributing it to “whatever agreement” President Biden’s administration made with Mexico regarding border crossings.
“There is no safety mechanisms,” Lieutenant Olivarez said. “There is no protocols in place to protect unaccompanied children.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For DHS Secretary Mayorkas and Acting CBP Commissioner Miller as they oversee border security and asylum processing.
- For the president and his national security advisors as they continue their immigration policies.
Sources: News Nation, The Hill
