Part 3/10:
The statistics Thompson shared are shocking: in 2022 alone, immigration authorities encountered over 152,000 unaccompanied minors near the border—a record high. These children are often victims of a heinous cycle of exploitation, with traffickers selling them multiple times a day, sometimes lasting for years. He explained that traffickers’ use of the border, exploiting weak security and legal loopholes, facilitates their operations.
Child trafficking, Thompson asserts, is the fastest-growing criminal enterprise globally, with children being sold into sexual slavery or forced labor. These victims are often transported across the U.S.-Mexico border, which is deliberately left unprotected in many areas, making it easier for traffickers to operate with impunity.