Listeners:
Top listeners:
play_arrow

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – Federal authorities said Thursday they have accounted for 146,000 unaccompanied migrant children who entered the United States during former President Joe Biden’s administration, while roughly 300,000 minors remain unaccounted for, amid allegations that many vulnerable children were placed with fraudulent sponsors and exposed to abuse, labor exploitation, and sex trafficking.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the findings point to a broader smuggling and sponsorship system that left children vulnerable after they crossed the border, with some minors allegedly ending up in the hands of traffickers, abusers, or fraudulent custodians.
“Oftentimes the children were abused, assaulted, and certainly exploited,” Blanche said. “When government fails to protect our borders, it is the most vulnerable who suffer.”
Officials said a network of “super sponsors” — individuals who sponsor at least three unrelated migrant children — helped fuel the exploitation by using fraudulent documents to claim they were relatives of the minors.
Federal prosecutors announced charges against Guatemalan nationals Maritza Azucena Cahuec Coc, 38, and Carlos Agustin Cahuec Coc, 33, accusing them of participating in a smuggling conspiracy involving more than a dozen children between 2020 and 2023. Both face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Another Guatemalan national, Juan Tiul Xi, 27, pleaded guilty to smuggling a 14-year-old girl into the U.S. using false sponsorship paperwork. Prosecutors said Xi claimed to be the girl’s older brother before sexually assaulting her. He was convicted in state court and is expected to serve more than 10 years in prison.
Acting Office of Refugee Resettlement Director Angie Salazar said some of the located children were found dead, while others were connected to serious crimes. She said federal officials are still reviewing roughly 81,000 addresses tied to children who remain missing from government oversight.
Mullin said the Trump administration is working to correct what officials described as serious failures in vetting sponsors and verifying where children were placed.
“It’s negligent at best and criminal at worst,” Mullin said.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
President Donald Trump abruptly canceled planned U.S. strikes against Iran on Thursday, saying a multinational agreement to end the conflict had been approved by top Iranian leadership and was awaiting final documents and a formal signing.
Federal authorities said Thursday they have accounted for 146,000 unaccompanied migrant children who entered the United States during former President Joe Biden’s administration, while roughly 300,000 minors remain unaccounted for, amid allegations that many vulnerable children were placed with fraudulent sponsors and exposed to abuse, labor exploitation, and sex trafficking.
Congress left Washington without renewing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, allowing a key foreign surveillance authority used to track foreign terrorists and national security threats to expire Friday.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on June 11 temporarily allowed President Donald Trump’s 10 percent global tariffs to remain in effect, extending a pause on a lower court ruling that had struck down the duties as unlawful.
Dutch police detained a young man l man after four people, including three children, were killed when a car struck a group of cyclists during a school outing near the Belgian border on Thursday, officials said.
The leaders of Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia are expected to meet this month amid growing debate within the European Union over how future member states should be admitted and monitored.
China has condemned the European Union’s ban on public funding for Chinese-made solar inverters, a move that analysts say could affect more than a fifth of new solar capacity and complicate efforts to meet the bloc’s self-imposed “climate targets.”
The Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs encapsulate the beauty, wisdom, and eternal truths found in the Bible, creating an immersive experience that resonates with believers and seekers alike.
Copyright The New Jerusalem Media.