Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s parent agency may be in a state of upheaval, but that hasn’t stopped ICE agents from doing their job.
While the Department of Homeland Security prepares for a new head honcho, ICE is still at work bringing some of the very worst criminals to justice.
And it doesn’t get much worse than exploiting children.
ICE put out a news release on Thursday declaring that it had successfully apprehended an illegal immigrant accused of trafficking children for the purpose of underage labor.
Brayan Adiel Gramajo Reyes was arrested Feb. 28 “for alleged illegal business practices discovered in a recent human trafficking investigation.”
“Rescuing unaccompanied children who are tragically exploited and trafficked is a top HSI priority,” ICE Homeland Security Investigations Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller said.
(HSI is ICE’s investigative arm, which focuses on transnational crime and human trafficking cases.)
She added, “Our investigation underscores HSI’s resolve to enforce our U.S. law and safeguard every child. Additionally, worksite enforcement is central to protecting our communities — targeting illegal employment networks, rescuing victims and stopping fraudulent business practices that harm real Americans.”
Federal investigators say Gramajo Reyes allegedly lured two unaccompanied minors from Guatemala to the United States by promising them better opportunities, only to force them into grueling physical labor once they arrived in Idaho.
Authorities say the case highlights broader concerns surrounding unaccompanied minors who crossed the southern border in recent years.
HSI officials said they are working to locate hundreds of thousands of migrant children who entered the country during the administration of President Joe Biden, arguing that many were vulnerable to exploitation after being released to sponsors inside the United States.
“HSI is dedicated to locating the 450,000 unaccompanied alien children that came in through the border under the Biden administration,” the news release added.
Investigators said some children were allegedly placed with individuals who had not been fully vetted, including people later suspected of involvement in smuggling or sex trafficking networks.
Officials under the Trump administration say more than 132,000 of those minors have since been located, adding that federal agents plan to continue searching for the remaining children and investigating potential cases of abuse or labor exploitation.
Gramajo Reyes was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of encouraging illegal entry of aliens to enter the U.S., as well as eight counts of using false statements for employment verification (Gramajo Reyes allegedly doctored Social Security numbers and claimed the children were legally authorized to work stateside) while knowing it was false, and one count of unlawful employment of aliens.
The Department of Justice also put out a news release, noting that the 30-year-old Gramajo Reyes had his first hearing on Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho.
If convicted on the first 10 counts, Gramajo Reyes faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000 for each count.
The 11th count — employing aliens — would bring with it a six-month prison stay and a $3,000 fine for each alien that’s unlawfully employed.
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