Indictments Announced in Child Trafficking Case

The Department of Justice (DOJ) along with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has revealed the indictments of three individuals accused of being part of a scheme to traffic children into the United States.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche remarked during a press conference, “I think I’m stating the obvious that when government fails to protect our borders, it is the most vulnerable who suffer.”

Blanche identified the accused as Maritza Kaweke-Coke, her brother Carlos Augustin Kaweke-Coke, and Gladys Marina Caal Chen, all from the Northern District of Ohio. “All three are illegal aliens from Guatemala who allegedly took part in a wide-ranging conspiracy to smuggle more than a dozen children into the United States by scamming the system and exploiting the loopholes created by the last administration,” he explained.

The DOJ and DHS have discovered over 15,500 “super sponsor cases,” where individuals or groups fraudulently sponsor unaccompanied alien children (UACs) through fake identities and false statements. In these instances, it’s not unusual for a single individual to sponsor multiple children, sometimes more than three.

In a related case, a 27-year-old Guatemalan illegal alien was convicted for smuggling a 14-year-old into the U.S., posing as her brother on legal documents before allegedly sexually assaulting her. Blanche referred to these situations as “the stuff of nightmares,” highlighting the gravity of human trafficking cases.

He praised Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA) for their pivotal role in dismantling human trafficking operations and the FBI for their support.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin was present to criticize the “horrific” neglect seen during the Biden administration, which allowed around 450,000 children to go missing nationwide. He expressed gratitude to former President Donald Trump for funding agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which have successfully located 146,000 of these missing children.

“We still have nearly 300,000 missing,” Mullin lamented. “We’re investigating reports to where some of these kids claim that they were raped 6-to-700 times.” He insisted, “I don’t care who you are… If you can’t stand for law enforcement to go find these kids, who are you?”

“Do you know where we’re finding most of them?” he continued. “Sanctuary cities.”

Mullin emphasized that criminal illegal aliens feel secure in those sanctuary cities, but assured that the Trump administration was determined to take action in those areas despite resistance from Democrat leaders.

He also criticized the previous administration’s “four years of a blind eye.” He pointed out that their own reports indicated that over a third of trafficked females, regardless of age, faced sexual assault even before reaching the U.S. border.

“As a father of six with three young girls, I’ll do whatever I have to do. I will move heaven and hell to go find these kids,” Mullin stated.