DOJ Indicts Illegal Aliens in Massive Child Trafficking Scheme
The Justice Department indicted two Guatemalan siblings for allegedly running a child smuggling ring that exploited a federal resettlement program to fraudulently gain custody of migrant children.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced federal indictments Thursday against 38-year-old Maritza Azucena Cahuec Coc and her brother, 33-year-old Carlos Agustin Cahuec Coc, both Guatemalan nationals living illegally in the United States.
The case exposes serious vulnerabilities in the Unaccompanied Alien Children program that allowed smugglers to exploit children for years under the previous administration’s policies, Blanche stated during a press conference.
Fraudulent Sponsorship Scheme Exploited Federal Vetting System
Federal prosecutors allege the Cahuec Coc siblings operated their smuggling operation from December 2020 through October 2023, gaming the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement vetting system to gain custody of children they had no legitimate relationship with.
Maritza Azucena Cahuec Coc allegedly submitted UAC sponsor applications using fabricated names and documents, falsely claiming familial relations to the smuggled children. In multiple instances, she successfully obtained custody of unaccompanied minors through these fraudulent means.
When law enforcement arrested Carlos Agustin Cahuec Coc on May 28, he was traveling with a 16-year-old UAC. Evidence shows he communicated with his sister to coordinate their fraudulent operations.
Additional Arrests Include Former UAC Turned Smuggler
Also indicted Thursday was 20-year-old Gladys Marina Caal Chen, a Guatemalan illegal alien who herself entered the country fraudulently as a UAC sponsored by one of Maritza Cahuec Coc’s co-conspirators.
Prosecutors allege Caal Chen attempted to sponsor a UAC through fraudulent means in January 2024. At the time of her arrest, she lied to law enforcement about her identity, as Breitbart News reports.
Guatemalan National Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse of Sponsored Child
The most disturbing case involves 27-year-old Juan Tiul Xi, a Guatemalan illegal alien who pleaded guilty to smuggling a 14-year-old female UAC into the United States, falsely claiming to be her brother, and then sexually abusing the child after taking custody in September 2023.
Xi received an eight-year state prison sentence for sexual battery of a child, along with an additional 26 months in federal prison.
U.S. Attorney David Toepfer warned that federal authorities will not tolerate criminals exploiting immigration programs for financial gain, particularly when children are involved. He praised federal investigators for exposing the trafficking network operating in Northern Ohio.
Biden Administration Accused of Enabling Child Trafficking Pipeline
During Thursday’s press conference, Blanche suggested the Biden administration, particularly former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, willingly allowed migrant children to be trafficked through the UAC program.
The Biden administration has faced sustained criticism for rushing migrant children through the UAC pipeline without proper vetting of adult sponsors and then losing track of the children once placed. Current HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused the previous administration last year of becoming the biggest facilitator for child abuse in American history through its UAC policies.
With information from Breitbart News
