Authorities in Texas encountered a toddler who had been smuggled by herself from Central America – while her previously-deported mother awaited her in South Carolina, according to reports.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (TxDPS) published a heart-wrenching video showing a trooper interviewing a girl claiming to be just 2-years-old who had been discovered among a group of more than 200 illegal aliens who entered Eagle Pass on Sunday morning.
The girl, whom troopers believed was from El Salvador, was carrying a piece of paper with a name and phone number written on it, as children who are trafficked alone across the border often do.
She told the trooper she was going to reunite with her parents, who were already in the U.S.
VIDEOS of unaccompanied children/minors and photos of special interest immigrants from Mali & Angola. 2/2 pic.twitter.com/HQPZBgieKY
— Chris Olivarez (@LtChrisOlivarez) November 24, 2024
The girl was just one of 60 unaccompanied minors discovered in the group.
“Regardless of political views, it is unacceptable for any child to be exposed to dangerous criminal trafficking networks,” TxDPS spokesman Lt. Chris Olivarez wrote on social media.
“With a record number of unaccompanied children and hundreds of thousands missing, there is no one ensuring the safety & security of these children except for the men & women who are on the frontlines daily. Despite the criticism over the years, the reality is that many children are exploited & trafficked, never to be heard from again.”
NewsNation correspondent Jorge Ventura later called the phone number the girl was carrying and relayed some conflicting details shared by a woman on the line, who claimed to be the toddler’s mother.
EXCLUSIVE: I spoke with a woman claiming to be the mother of a little girl only 4-years-old who was smuggled into the U.S. all alone without her parents. The woman says she paid criminal smugglers in Honduras and Mexico to bring her young daughter into the U.S. This little girl… pic.twitter.com/9YL8U1kIgD
— Jorge Ventura Media (@VenturaReport) November 27, 2024
The woman told Ventura she paid coyotes in Honduras and Mexico around $4,500 to smuggle the girl, who she said is 4-years-old.
The alleged mother claims she was previously deported with her daughter but now lives in South Carolina.
She says federal authorities have been in contact and hopes they will bring the girl to her.
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