A Guatemalan citizen, illegally resident in the United States, has been charged with his role in smuggling a 14-year-old girl into the country.
Juan TiulXI, 26, was charged with illegally entering the United States on Thursday. Ministry of Justice (DOJ) Statement. Tiul Xi has also been accused of submitting a sponsorship application containing false statements to gain custody of her teenager.
“The previous administration’s border policies have created an environment that enables human trafficking and allows bad actors to use children at risk,” Attorney General Pam Bondy said in a statement. “We are committed to protecting children from the tragedy of human trafficking and will not rest until we bring justice for those who suffered during the border crisis.”
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondy announced the arrest of a gang member involved in the murders of four in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Maltara Bandia)
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Tiul XI is said to have illegally entered the United States in 2023 under the Biden administration. The DOJ claims that after entering the country illegally, Tiur XI encouraged her teens to say that she was his sister. The Department of Health and Human Services’ Refugee Resettlement Office (ORR) reportedly relied on Teen XI’s false statements on September 5, 2023 to release the teenager to his custody.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will be attending a pre-enforcement meeting held on Sunday, January 26th, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois, along with other federal law enforcement agencies. (Bloomberg via Christopher Dilt/Getty Images)
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The DOJ says Tiul XI is being charged with one count encouraging or inducing illegal entry for financial interests, one count creating a false, fictitious or fraudulent statement, and one count aggravated identity theft. According to the DOJ, if convicted, he encourages illegal break-in and faces up to five years for false statements, two years for identity theft and up to 10 years in prison.
“This incident is evidence of ice’s commitment to holding predators accountable for the harm they inflicted on their children,” said Todd Lyons, director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
FBI officials will carry out immigration enforcement in New York on Thursday, January 30th, 2025. (FBI)
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Acting ORR Director Angie M. Salazar said the office “significantly increased” the sponsor review process, which prioritizes “children’s well-being.”
“We hope that our commitment will be revealed through cooperation with law enforcement with the right mistakes and help to clarify these crimes,” Salazar said in a DOJ press release on the indictment of Tiul XI.
The incident is part of DOJ’s Take Back America, which says it aims to combat “the ongoing threats and risks that the American people have elected to deal with.”
