On Sunday, a 2-year-old child was found at the US-Mexico border clutching a piece of paper with a name and phone number on it.
Reportedly, the child arrived in the United States alone. Her parents are in the country.
The photo was shared by Texas Department of Public Safety Spokesperson Chris Olivarez.
“This is a stark example of the precarious journey these children make from their home country & how criminal organizations traffic these children across the southern border & further into the interior,” he wrote on X.
“Regardless of political views, it is unacceptable for any child to be exposed to dangerous criminal trafficking networks. 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,” he added. “DPS has rescued over 900 children during #OperationLoneStar from abandonment & human smuggling.”
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
According to the New York Post, the 2-year-old girl is from El Salvador. She was part of a group of more than 200 illegal immigrants, including 60 unaccompanied minors, detained after crossing into Maverick County, Texas.
“It is unspeakable that an innocent 2-year-old girl was abandoned by her parents and exposed to vicious threats from criminal human traffickers who care nothing about human life,” Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R) told The Post.
“By refusing to enforce the law, the Biden-Harris administration continues to put vulnerable children at risk, including hundreds of thousands of migrant kids they lost track of since taking office,” she added.