In a string of alarming incidents at the U.S.-Mexico border, Border Patrol agents have rescued multiple children being smuggled by cartels, many of whom were heavily drugged. Gregory Bovino, the El Centro Sector Chief Patrol Agent, recently revealed the heartbreaking details of one such case in which a young boy was found drugged with sleep aids to keep him silent during his journey.
The trafficker, not related to the child, was carrying birth certificates for several other children, raising further concerns about the extent of the smuggling operation. “This is evil,” Bovino said in a post, describing how within two days, agents saved more minors from being trafficked by similar means.
Under the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration policies, California has seen an unprecedented spike in illegal crossings and drug smuggling. Despite having only a small portion of the U.S.-Mexico border, the state now leads in apprehensions, with record numbers of illegal immigrants and drugs flooding into the state.
Former Border Patrol Chief Aaron Heitke, testifying before Congress, described how cartel operatives recruit young girls in Tijuana and force them into prostitution in U.S. cities like Oakland and Los Angeles. These traffickers often use charities as temporary staging areas before moving their victims into the illegal sex trade.
Sheriffs and immigration officials are calling for stronger enforcement of existing laws to combat the growing human trafficking crisis. Former ICE Chief Tom Homan and California Sheriff Mike Boudreaux have both warned that the current administration’s policies are failing to protect vulnerable children from exploitation by dangerous cartels.
