Two Young Girls Carrying a Note Found at Texas Border After Being Abandoned By Migrant Smugglers

Texas authorities rescued two young migrant girls who were abandoned by smugglers at the southern border, carrying only a note with an address and phone number.

The five and nine-year-old girls from El Salvador were discovered by the Texas Department of Public Safety and transferred to the U.S. Border Patrol, Lt. Chris Olivarez said in a statement to X.

Typically, unaccompanied children are transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and placed with sponsors in the U.S. However, concerns have been raised about an increased number of unaccompanied minors crossing the border, often found with minimal identification and sometimes failing to attend immigration court hearings, Fox News reported.

A report from the DHS Office of Inspector General revealed that, between 2019 and 2023, more than 32,000 unaccompanied children failed to appear for their scheduled hearings. It also noted gaps in tracking the locations of children released from federal custody.

Despite over 500,000 unaccompanied minors entering the U.S. since 2019, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removed just 411 children in fiscal year 2024, according to ICE's latest report. This is a stark decline from more than 4,000 removed in FY 2022.

The incident highlights the difficulties in protecting the safety and well-being of vulnerable children while managing migration in accordance with government policies.