John Cornyn: “since President Biden took office just a little over 2 years ago, more than 348,000 unaccompanied children have crossed…”

“since President Biden took office just a little over 2 years ago, more than 348,000 unaccompanied children have crossed our southern border. To be clear, these 348,000 children did not arrive in the United States by themselves. Children often make this dangerous journey with friends, neighbors, or other relatives, and, of course, in the custody of transnational criminal organizations--or what are otherwise known as coyotes--that get paid to smuggle people into our country. The sad reality is that many of these children come to the country in the care of these cartels, human smugglers, coyotes. Parents pay smugglers thousands of dollars to bring their child to the United States, but the truth is, the money doesn't guarantee their safety. The journey to the southern border is not easy or safe. Children are subjected to violence, exploitation, and sexual abuse on the way to the United States. Why in the world would anybody think, if I turn my child over to a criminal organization that will smuggle them into the United States--how in the world would they ever have the confidence that they would be safely transported here? So it, sadly, is not surprising. As folks along the southern border in our border communities in Texas will tell you, trying to help these migrant children when they get here is no small task.…”