Ted Poe: “Ripped from the bodies of unwilling women, undergarments cling to branches of a tree just a few feet from the lawless…”

“Ripped from the bodies of unwilling women, undergarments cling to branches of a tree just a few feet from the lawless U.S.- Mexico border, dozens of pairs of underwear thrown there by rapists. These are called rape trees. Each pair is a trophy from a woman that was smuggled into the United States, victims that are heard screaming in the desert. They are raped, even gang raped by illegal human smugglers, then forced into silence. These trees are a warning. Illegal immigrants evade our borders but crime doesn't evade them. Some become criminals. Some become victims. They are raped, robbed and murdered by other illegals, human smugglers and brutal criminals who then claim other victims. More than 70 percent of their rapes, murders and child sex crimes are against Americans. One expert who studies sex crimes says about a hundred illegal sex offenders cross the border every day, leaving thousands of victims every year. Rape trees are a warning to illegals not to talk. They should be a warning to Americans as well, to shout out against illegal entry and human smuggling. And that's just the way it is. ____________________”