A Guatemalan national residing in the U.S. illegally has been indicted for his alleged role in smuggling a 14-year-old girl into the country.
Juan Tiul Xi, 26, was indicted on Thursday for allegedly coaxing a 14-year-old girl into illegally entering the U.S., according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) statement. Tiul Xi is also accused of submitting a sponsorship application containing false statements to gain custody of the teen.
"The prior administration’s border policies created an environment that enabled human trafficking and allowed bad actors to take advantage of at-risk children," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. "We are committed to protecting children from the scourge of human trafficking and will not rest until we deliver justice for those who suffered during the border crisis."
(AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
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Tiul Xi allegedly entered the U.S. illegally under the Biden administration in 2023. The DOJ alleges that after entering the country illegally, Tiul Xi encouraged the teen to say she was his sister. The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) then reportedly relied on Tiul Xi’s false statements to release the teenager into his custody on Sept. 5, 2023.
(Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
FEDS BUST MASSIVE ALLEGED GUATEMALAN HUMAN SMUGGLING RING OPERATING OUT OF CALIFORNIA
The DOJ says Tiul Xi is charged with one count of...
A Guatemalan national residing in the U.S. illegally has been indicted for his alleged role in smuggling a 14-year-old girl into the country. Juan Tiul Xi, 26, was indicted on Thursday for alleged...