DOJ Charges Two for Smuggling Migrant Children
The Department of Justice has charged two undocumented immigrants for their alleged involvement in an international smuggling ring that trafficked migrant children across the U.S.-Mexico border as unaccompanied alien children (UAC). Reportedly, some of these cases involved the unlawful assumption of custody. In a separate incident, another undocumented individual is accused of sexually abusing a UAC whom he falsely claimed was his relative.
On Thursday, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanchet disclosed federal charges against Maritza Azucena Kahuek Kok, 38, and her brother Carlos Agustín Kahuek Kok, 33, both from Guatemala.
During the press conference, Acting Attorney General Blanchet remarked, “For years under the previous administration, unaccompanied children were smuggled into the United States and then placed into mismanaged government programs guided by reckless policy guidance.” He noted that, “These defendants allegedly took advantage of the program instead of protecting the children, enticing the illegal smuggling of unaccompanied children into the United States and leaving them vulnerable to various forms of exploitation, including sexual assault and human trafficking.”
The indictment details that from December 2020 to October 2023, the Kahuek Koks allegedly operated a scheme to smuggle migrant children, utilizing the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) vetting process to fraudulently claim custody of some children by fabricating familial connections.
According to federal prosecutors, Maritza Azucena Kahuek Kok smuggled children into the U.S. and then used false identities and documentation to apply for UAC sponsorship, at times successfully gaining custody of these children.
On May 28, law enforcement apprehended Carlos Agustín Kahuek Kok while he was in a vehicle with a 16-year-old UAC. Reports indicate that he allegedly contacted his sister to discuss their activities.
Also indicted was Gladys Marina Carl Chen, 20, another undocumented individual from Guatemala who, interestingly, was previously fraudulently sponsored as a UAC by one of Maritza’s associates to be resettled in the U.S. Prosecutors claim Chen attempted to sponsor UAC through deceptive means in January 2024, and he allegedly misled authorities about his identity at his arrest.
In a troubling development, Juan Tiul Xi, a 27-year-old undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, has also pleaded guilty. Prosecutors allege that he smuggled a 14-year-old female UAC into the U.S., falsely claimed to be her brother, took custody of her, and then sexually abused her. Xi was sentenced to eight years in state prison followed by 26 months in federal prison for these crimes.
U.S. Attorney David Toepfer stated, “We will not tolerate criminals who engage in deceptive and fraudulent practices that exploit our immigration programs for financial gain.” He added, “If your business plan is to smuggle others, especially children, into our country for profit, you will face a federal judge for violating our laws.”
Blanchet also indicated that the Biden administration has possibly allowed for the trafficking of migrant children through the UAC program, with particular criticism directed at former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. Reports have claimed that the administration hastily routed migrant children through the UAC pipeline without proper vetting for adult sponsors, resulting in some children going missing.
Additionally, last year, then Health Department Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused the Biden administration of creating the UAC policy “the greatest facilitator of child abuse” in U.S. history.
