U.S. Border Patrol agents have rescued multiple children who were drugged and smuggled by cartel members in a series of harrowing encounters at the southern border. El Centro Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino detailed one such case where a young boy was heavily dosed with sleep aids to keep him silent. The trafficker, found with several birth certificates, was suspected of smuggling more children.
Within two days, Border Patrol agents uncovered two more cases where minors were drugged during their journey. These children, not related to their traffickers, were being transported under horrendous conditions. “This is evil,” Bovino said in a public post, expressing outrage over the exploitation of innocent children.
California, now leading the nation in illegal border crossings, has seen record numbers of migrants and drugs coming across the border since the current administration took office. Despite having only 137 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, California has become a major entry point for smuggling operations.
In testimony before Congress, former Border Patrol Chief Aaron Heitke revealed the disturbing practice of cartels recruiting young girls in Mexico, who are then forced into prostitution in U.S. cities like Los Angeles. These girls are lured away from their families and put into the hands of traffickers, often ending up in charity-run shelters before being sold into the sex trade.
The border crisis has pushed Border Patrol agents to their breaking point, with many facing extreme mental and physical strain. Law enforcement leaders like former ICE Chief Tom Homan have called for stricter enforcement of existing immigration laws to address the worsening crisis.
