Texas DPS finds 10-year-old boy from El Salvador crying at border after being abandoned by human smugglers

On Thursday, Texas troopers located a 10-year-old boy from El Salvador who was left behind by human smugglers near the US-Mexico border. When authorities initiated contact with the child, the young boy revealed in tears that he was stranded after his smuggler abandoned him, leaving him to fend for himself. This comes after the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) recovered more than 60 unaccompanied migrant children on Sunday, including two and four-year-olds, as part of Operation Lone Star.

Chris Olivarez, Texas DPS Lieutenant, said the child was brought across the border in Maverick County by a smuggler who left him behind.

"The child was crying and told troopers a smuggling guide left him behind and that he was lost," Olivarez wrote on X. "The child only had a phone and stated his parents were in the US. The child was turned over to the US Border Patrol.

According to video footage posted by the lieutenant, the young El Salvadorian was found wandering and appearing lost. The trooper asked the child, "What's wrong? Are you ok?"

The boy responded while letting out tears, "They left me alone. They didn't want to guide me."

The trooper informed the child that Border Patrol agents would be coming to aid him.

"As many of us are celebrating Thanksgiving with our families and friends, let's not forget many children will not get to enjoy the holidays or see their families because they have been placed in a dire situation due to open border conditions," Olivarez continued, and added, "Many more who are trafficked across the southern border are exploited and exposed to a dangerous criminal environment during their journey to the US."

On Sunday, Texas DPS found a 2-year-old girl from El Salvador abandoned at the border with a yellow slip that included a phone number and a name during an Operation Lone Star investigation that recovered 60 unaccompanied migrant children between the ages of 2 and 17, authorities said.

Many unaccompanied migrant children (UACs) arrive at the border with notes that state the contact information of their alleged "sponsors." The Biden administration enacted a policy where immigration enforcement agencies are directed to take the UACs to the Department of Health and Human Services, who then place the kids into the company of their "sponsors." However, a report released earlier this year revealed that many of these unaccompanied migrant children are being put into forced labor and trafficking. More than 320,000 unaccompanied migrant children have been reported missing under the Biden admin.