Four charged in Texas with smuggling children across border while posing as parents
Share and Follow

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Four people are facing charges in a shocking child-smuggling case out of El Paso, Texas.

The four are accused of smuggling unaccompanied children between five and 13 years old from Juárez, Mexico, into the United States, posing as the children’s parents at Border Patrol checkpoints and sedating them with marijuana gummies.

Mexican nationals Susana Guadian and Daniel Guadian, their daughter, Dianne Guadian, a U.S. citizen; and Manuel Valenzuela, a legal U.S. resident living in El Paso, were charged in the Western District of Texas with conspiracy to transport aliens and bringing aliens to the U.S. for financial gain. Officials are working on extraditing the Mexican nationals to the U.S. to face their charges, according to Jason Stevens, the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso.

“They would have the drivers pose as their parents and provide U.S. documents, falsely claiming that the documents belong to those children that were being smuggled,” Stevens said.

A graphic of four suspects charged with smuggling

Four suspects are charged with smuggling migrant children over the border in El Paso, Texas. (Department of Justice)

Proof-of-life pictures of some of the children were found on the suspects’ phones.

Stevens says the parents trusted the smugglers to deliver their children to family members in the U.S., despite the significant risks. 

“These children are nothing more than currency to the criminals,” Stevens said. “We want to ensure that we interdict this and stop this before they get here because there are instances where we find children that are in stash houses, or we get cases where we will be contacted by a local department where a family is being extorted and children are being held.”

Earlier this month, Fox News got an exclusive look at the team within the Office of Refugee Resettlement which was created under the Trump administration to help find the tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors who disappeared into the system under the Biden administration.

“While we understand people wanting to come to the United States for a better way of life, there is a legal way to do it,” Stevens said. “That is the way obviously that we suggest that they do that and that money be invested in that process, because when they go with a struggling organization, they can’t control any of the elements or the people that are smuggling them.”

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Moment Keith Urban exploded at radio station over Nicole Kidman

Keith Urban’s Fiery Reaction at Radio Station Regarding Nicole Kidman

Signs of strain in the marriage between Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman were…
Influencer Tang Feiji dies after aircraft crashes, erupts into flames during livestream

Influencer Tang Feiji tragically dies in live-streamed aircraft crash and fire

Influencer Tang Feiji has plummeted to his death in an aircraft during…
People comfort each other at the scene of a shooting and fire at a church in Michigan

Search Concludes for Victims of Michigan Church Attack While Police Investigate Motive

GRAND BLANC, Mich. () The search for victims in Sunday’s attack at…
Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin returns to court — without showing his face

Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin returns to court — without showing his face

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! PROVO, Utah — His…
Knicks' Abu Dhabi trip comes with loads of business to attend to

Knicks’ Abu Dhabi visit packed with business responsibilities

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — The Knicks have embarked on their…
Longtime customer shot at Jacksonville restaurant

Regular Patron Injured by Gunfire at Jacksonville Eatery

A customer was shot during a weekend incident at Que Padre Mexican…
Trump embraces AI in new White House social media strategy

Trump Incorporates AI in Revamped White House Social Media Plan

Artificial imagery isn’t new for Trump, an early target of AI-generated fakes…
Trump announces 100% tariff on movies made outside US

Trump Introduces Full Tariff on Foreign Films

WASHINGTON () President Donald Trump announced another round of sweeping tariffs Monday,…