Children as young as eight are now being drugged to sleep and smuggled into the United States, a border patrol agent warned.
In recent weeks, Border Patrol authorities have rescued several children who fell victim to two different instances of smuggling. In one of the cases, a child was heavily drugged with sleep aids as part of an effort to prevent him from speaking to authorities.
In another case, a border agent found that a smuggler possessed birth certificates of the children they were trafficking despite not being related to the kids. A recent report from the House Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs said at least three in 10 children crossing the border were not related to the adults accompanying them.
Sometimes we encounter criminal actions so horrendous they defy human decency.
— USBP Chief Patrol Agent Gregory K. Bovino (@USBPChiefELC) September 20, 2024
The #PremierSector rescued this child from a trafficker who heavily dosed him w/ sleep aids to prevent him from talking to agents. Scarier still is the trafficker had birth certificates for more kids. pic.twitter.com/coQHTYBEiB
Traffickers posing as parents or relatives of the children they were smuggling has become a growing trend, as reported by the New York Post, citing an unnamed Border Patrol source.
"A few years ago, when they were coming in en masse, we had to let family units in. People kept coming in, and after a while, we noticed the kids were the same, but the parents were different. They were recycling the kids," the border agent told the outlet.
What Happens to Children Smuggled Into the US
Authorities who spoke to the outlet said it was unclear what was happening to children who were smuggled. However, they believe the kids were being exploited for child labor. Some may have also fallen victim to sex trafficking.
Studies done by the Coalition Against Trafficking In Women, specifically its Latin American branch, estimated that 60% of children smuggled across the border are either being forced to participate in child pornography or are being used by cartels to traffic drugs.
How Many Children Have Been Smuggled Into the US
It is not immediately clear how many children have been smuggled into the country. However, the country has released 291,000 unaccompanied migrant children to sponsors as of May 2024. They were not given a date to appear in immigration court, which means the government has no way to track their whereabouts, the Post noted.
In addition, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lost track of 32,000 children unaccompanied migrant children between 2019 and 2023.
