Deb Fischer: “in April, Border Patrol agents encountered an unaccompanied 2-year-old boy at the southern border of Texas. Let me read…”

“in April, Border Patrol agents encountered an unaccompanied 2-year-old boy at the southern border of Texas. Let me read you part of what the Customs and Border Protection released: The boy, a Honduran national, who had lost his shoe in the mud while crossing, was traveling within a group of 38 individuals. Agents questioned the group to obtain any information on the boy--however, no one claimed to know the child. In 2022, CBP arrested at least six dozen convicted violent sex offenders--many of them child sex abusers--according to media releases. Vulnerable, unaccompanied children, as well as young women traveling alone, draw criminals like these to our country. They want to take advantage of the chaos overwhelming our border. Our border has become a hotbed of criminal activity, especially of trafficking helpless women and children. Last month, I came before you to address the deadly effects of drug trafficking across our border on American citizens. But the out-of- control situation at our border puts migrants in danger too. The effect of these numbers on children is just heartbreaking. And 2022 beat the record for the number of unaccompanied migrant children encountered by Border Patrol, an overwhelming 152,057. The State Department reported this year that child sex tourism is expanding in the border cities of Mexico.…”