Video taken near the southwest border with Mexico last week shows a young migrant child pleading with immigration authorities for help, telling them that he was abandoned by a larger group of migrants traveling to the U.S.
“Somebody could rob or kidnap me, I’m scared,” the sobbing child can be seen saying in the video.
An officer asks the child if he crossed the border with his mother or father.
“No, no,” the boy responds. “I came with a group and they left me behind.”
NBC News reported the 10-year-old boy was from Nicaragua and was found walking on a rural road near La Grulla, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley. ABC News reported the child was taken to a migrant holding facility for children in Donna, Texas.
“It is unconscionable that anyone would abandon these small children, and those responsible for smuggling events like this will be aggressively prosecuted,” Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke said in a statement to NBC News.
A recent surge in migrants, particularly unaccompanied minors, across the southern border has led to criticism of President Biden’s immigration policies. Republicans have argued Biden’s promise to grant asylum to some 11 million undocumented people currently living in the United States has encouraged mass migration.
Democrats have leveled separate criticism of the detention facilities used to hold children who cross the border.
Last month, Biden named Vice President Harris to lead the administration’s immigration efforts to form partnerships with Mexico and Northern Triangle countries.