The girl told police that she was hit with cables and a belt with a spike, starved, bound with zip ties, tied to a chair for “stealing food,” and was beaten whenever she urinated while sleeping, according to court documents.
A 12-year-old girl who was brought into the US from Honduras as an unaccompanied minor under the Obama administration in 2014 was allegedly tortured for years, an official from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) told Fox News. Her biological mother lives outside of the country, according to court documents. She was originally sponsored by a distant uncle in Houston, who is alleged to have sexually abused her.
She was then allegedly taken in by two sisters in March of 2025, Brenda Mariana and Tania Evette Garcia, 38 and 37, respectively, of Montgomery County, TX, who were accused of continuing the abuse against the girl. She escaped on September 30 and was found nearby with a head wound, along with other injuries.
The girl told police that she was hit with cables and a belt with a spike, starved, bound with zip ties, tied to a chair for "stealing food," and was beaten whenever she urinated while sleeping, according to court documents. The girl also said that Brenda Garcia took nude photos of her.
Both sisters were arrested on October 3 and are charged with third-degree felony Injury to Child with Intentional Bodily Injury and state jail felony Unlawful Restraint less than 17 years of age. Brenda Garcia is additionally charged with state jail felony Invasive Visual Recording. Bond has been set at $280,000 for Brenda Garcia, and $200,000 for Tania Garcia, according to the Montgomery County Police Reporter.
Child Protective Services is also involved with the case, and the investigation is ongoing.
The Trump administration has recovered 22,638 unaccompanied minors, along with 27 deceased minors, that were lost during the Biden administration, out of a backlog of 65,000 reports of unaddressed Notifications of Concern, according to the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Many have been found in terrible conditions, such as labor or sex slaves. “It’s important that we find these cases where children are being used for labor and sexually trafficked,” according to HHS ORR senior advisor John Fabbricotore.
After Biden came into office, over 470,000 unaccompanied minors crossed the border by December 2024. Many were turned over to sponsors without proper vetting procedures, such as establishing family connections through DNA testing.
Libby’s Desk
Commentary and must-reads from Libby’s desk, straight to your inbox.
TPM Newsletter
The Post Millennial’s top stories, delivered to your inbox.
