On November 28, Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector discovered an abandoned child among a group of 47 unlawful migrants arrested close to Havana, Texas.
The unlawful migrants within the group allegedly found the toddler on the banks of the Rio Grande.
The three-year-old could not communicate with Border Patrol agents at the scene and had no identity documents on hand. When the agents interviewed the child, the toddler could only say “Mama” and “Papa.”
The agents later found a phone number written on the child’s shirt. From there, the agents were able to reach out to a woman who claimed to be the child’s mother. According to the woman that Border Patrol was able to get in touch with, the three-year-old child hailed from Honduras.
The child is now being sent over to the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), who is currently transferring the child to the mother once the relationship is verified.
The child was one of 420 unaccompanied children that Border Patrol encountered on November 29.
According to CBP reports, over 140,000 unaccompanied children were encountered in Fiscal Year 2021. In October, 12,648 unlawful migrants were apprehended nationwide. Roughly 7,000 were discovered in the Rio Grande Valley Sector alone.
Once the HHS locates family members or sponsors within the U.S, all unaccompanied children are released.
As of November, HHS is detaining over 12,300 children waiting for sponsors. An additional 1,000 are in Border Patrol custody while waiting to be transferred to HHS.
A recent Congressional Research Service report revealed that the federal government had discontinued removals as outlined by the Title 42 COVID-19 emergency order.
This report showcased how family units voluntarily send their children to the U.S. alone.