A young migrant girl was rescued by Border Patrol last month before she could fall into the hands of a convicted sex offender—thanks to renewed vetting policies under President Donald Trump’s administration. The girl, who emerged alone from the brush near the Rio Grande in Hidalgo, Texas, was headed for Alaska, where her sponsor was later revealed to be a 44-year-old registered sex offender named Douglas Price.
According to the Department of Justice, Price funneled $5,000 from his business, Black Bear Construction, to fund the smuggling of the child and her mother from Honduras. Court documents show Price had been in contact with the mother for years and intended to have the child placed in his custody. The girl was separated from her mother during the trek and intercepted before the unthinkable could happen.
“This man allegedly paid smugglers to bring an illegal alien child and mother to this country, and in doing so, the child ended up alone during the dangerous journey,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. He praised the Trump administration’s aggressive sponsor vetting and emphasized the importance of keeping vulnerable children out of the hands of predators.
Price now faces federal charges of alien smuggling and encouraging illegal entry. If convicted, he could serve up to 10 years in prison and be fined $250,000. Officials say this case is emblematic of why strict sponsor vetting is necessary—especially after the Biden administration lost track of over 320,000 unaccompanied minors, many of whom were later found in the custody of criminals, gang members, and labor traffickers.
Under the previous administration, officials relied on email photos and brief phone calls to approve sponsors. In contrast, the Trump administration has mandated criminal background checks, in-person interviews, DNA verification for claimed relatives, and in-home inspections by HHS and DHS officials.
“These safeguards are why this child is safe today,” a DHS source said.
White House border czar Tom Homan confirmed that the administration has already located 145,000 of the children previously lost under Biden-era policies. He credited the multi-agency task force formed last year after President Trump declared child trafficking a “national emergency.”
Court documents also detail how Price sent money to a phone number given by smugglers, shared photos of himself with the girl’s mother, and repeatedly asked about the girl’s status. The mother, who crossed days later, said she had once worked for Price as a housekeeper and babysitter. In exchange for his smuggling assistance, she agreed to “pay him back” through labor.
As these investigations continue, officials say this is just one of dozens of recent cases where predators attempted to use immigration loopholes to gain access to children. Trump administration officials have vowed to continue rooting them out and ending the trafficking pipeline that flourished under previous leadership.
“This case is another tragic reminder of how easily our broken system can be exploited,” Blanche said. “But it’s also a clear example of how our reforms are working—and saving lives.”
The post Feds Save Migrant Child From Sex Offender As Trump Cleans Up Biden Trafficking Crisis appeared first on Real News Now.
About Author
