{"id":2039710,"date":"2023-09-21T02:44:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T06:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-downplay-plight-of-child-trafficking-at-us-border-tim-ballard-says\/"},"modified":"2023-09-21T02:46:45","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T06:46:45","slug":"democrats-downplay-plight-of-child-trafficking-at-us-border-tim-ballard-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-downplay-plight-of-child-trafficking-at-us-border-tim-ballard-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Tim Ballard claims Democrats minimize child trafficking crisis at US border."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrats-downplay-plight-of-child-trafficking-at-us-border-tim-ballard-says%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2039710&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>Democrats Downplay Plight of Unaccompanied \u200cMinors, Says &#8216;Sound of Freedom&#8217; Movie Subject<\/h2>\n<p>Tim Ballard, \u2064the subject of the movie &#8216;Sound \u200dof Freedom,&#8217; criticized Democrats for ignoring the 85,000 unaccounted-for unaccompanied minors and the tragic situation of children being sold into sex trafficking. \u2063He expressed his\u2063 disappointment after appearing before the House Committee on Homeland Security.<\/p>\n<p>During the committee hearing, Ballard was struck by the \u200bDemocrats&#8217; refusal to address the issue of\u200d the 85,000 missing children. Instead, they focused on the separation policy from three years ago under the Trump administration, which temporarily separated 5,500 children from their families.<\/p>\n<p>Ballard,\u200c in an interview with The \u2062Epoch Times, stated, &#8220;Clearly, they were trying to distract\u2064 and deflect because there is no\u2062 separation of\u200b families policy right \u2064now. But there is an urgent \u200dsituation going on with thousands of children right now.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<h2 class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/opinion\/us-is-a-top-destination-for-child-sex-trafficking-and-its-happening-in-your-community-5424874?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>US Is a Top\u2064 Destination for Child Sex Trafficking, and It\u2019s Happening in Your Community<\/h3>\n<p>            <\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">7\/30\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/opinion\/us-is-a-top-destination-for-child-sex-trafficking-and-its-happening-in-your-community-5424874?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n            <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/doj-quietly-removes-child-sex-trafficking-information-from-its-website-5396469?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>DOJ Quietly Removes Child Sex Trafficking\u2064 Information From Its Website<\/h3>\n<p>            <\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">7\/13\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/doj-quietly-removes-child-sex-trafficking-information-from-its-website-5396469?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;According to the data I&#8217;ve seen,\u2064 including from the president of Guatemala, somewhere \u200cbetween 70-75 percent of the children\u2063 and women who are brought from Guatemala have \u200dbeen sexually \u2063abused and trafficked\u200b along the way,&#8221; Ballard revealed. &#8220;Those kids aren&#8217;t just being used \u2064as \u200bpawns, they&#8217;re being \u200bsold \u2064and \u2063abused in any way that \u200dmakes \u2063money for the trafficker.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Left-to-Right: Tim Ballard, Mayra Hinojosa Cantu, Sandy Snodgrass, and Lee Gelernt \u200care sworn in prior to giving \u2063testimony before the House Committee\u2064 on Homeland Security on September 13, 2023 \u2062(Screenshot\/U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Having served as\u2063 a Special\u200c Agent\u2062 for the Department of Homeland Security for over 10 years, specializing in Internet Crimes Against Children, Ballard \u2062has firsthand experience in combating child trafficking.\u2062 In 2013, he founded &#8220;Operation Underground Railroad,&#8221; an organization dedicated to rescuing \u2064victims of child trafficking.\u200d His inspiring\u2062 story is\u200d the basis \u200bfor \u200dthe movie &#8216;Sound of Freedom.&#8217;<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>During his testimony \u200dbefore the House Committee on Homeland Security\u200c on September 13, \u2062Ballard \u2064was joined \u2062by Sandy Snodgrass, founder\u200d of Alaska Fentanyl Response, Mayra\u200b Hinojosa\u200b Cantu, the \u200cwife of a U.S. Border Agent, and Lee Gelernt, the Deputy \u2062Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Immigrants\u2019 Rights Project.\u2064 Interestingly, most Democrats on the committee directed their questions \u200dsolely to\u2064 Gelernt.<\/p>\n<p>Expressing his disappointment, Ballard said, &#8220;Very few\u2064 questions were asked to me. They didn&#8217;t want to have a conversation with\u200d someone who \u200bactually knows what&#8217;s going on\u200b at the border. They didn&#8217;t want\u2064 to have a conversation with someone who has witnessed child\u200b trafficking and has rescued children \u2064using the laws that \u200chave \u200cbeen on the books\u200c for decades. \u2063I&#8217;m\u2062 the last person \u200cthey want \u2062to talk to.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>What troubled Ballard the most was Gelernt&#8217;s repeated \u2064attempts to downplay and dismiss the fact that the\u2062 government has\u2062 lost track of 85,000 unaccompanied minors, many of\u200b whom he believes have \u2063fallen victim to sex trafficking and forced labor.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Lee Gelernt, Deputy Director of \u200cthe\u200b American Civil\u200d Liberties Union Immigrants\u2019 Rights Project and witness for the minority provides testimony before the House Committee \u200don \u200dHomeland Security on September 13, 2023 (Screenshot\/U.S. House Committee\u2062 on \u2063Homeland Security).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>&#8220;I just couldn&#8217;t believe it,&#8221; reflected Ballard. &#8220;He kept \u200bsaying, &#8216;Those children\u200d are not missing. We don&#8217;t consider them missing.&#8217; I\u200c was just thinking, &#8216;Are you kidding\u200b me?&#8217; What\u2064 is a missing \u200ckid, then? If a kid shows \u2064up in the care\u200c of the United\u2064 States \u200bgovernment and that kid leaves\u200d with someone they don&#8217;t know, and that person won&#8217;t respond,\u2062 that&#8217;s a missing child. Downplaying the tragic plight \u200cof children who have come into our \u200ccountry and are delivered into the hands of \u2062who knows who and for \u200bwhat \u2064purpose puts kids in danger. \u200cI don&#8217;t know\u200b why you would do \u2062anything\u2062 to put kids in danger, so I&#8217;m very disappointed by what \u200cthey were \u200bdoing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>The 85,000\u200d Children<\/h2>\n<p>A report by the \u2063 <a class=\"multivariate\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/backgrounder\/us-detention-child-migrants\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Council on Foreign Relations<\/a> in\u200b March 2023 revealed that &#8220;immigration authorities \u2063encountered more \u200bthan 152,000 unaccompanied minors\u2062 at or near the U.S.-Mexico border in \u200dfiscal year \u20642022, an all-time high.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>However, \u2062the figure of 85,000 seems to have\u200d originated from a February 2023\u200c article in \u200bThe New York Times, which\u2064 highlighted the \u2062increasing number of migrant\u2062 children arriving in the United States\u2063 and being exploited in\u200c jobs that violate child labor \u200blaws.<\/p>\n<p>While\u200b this \u200bissue of \u2064migrant child labor has been growing for nearly\u200d a decade, the numbers have skyrocketed \u200csince President Joe Biden\u2063 took office. Unfortunately, the systems meant to protect these children from exploitation have\u200c simultaneously \u2064broken down or been \u200beliminated.<\/p>\n<p>The New York Times states that 130,000 unaccompanied minors entered the U.S. in 2022, \u200dthree times the rate of five years ago. It is important to note \u200dthat these \u2064children are not entering \u200bthe country undetected; the federal government is aware of their presence.\u200d The Department of Health \u200cand Human Services (HHS) is responsible for ensuring\u200c that sponsors support and protect these\u2063 children from trafficking or exploitation.<\/p>\n<p>However, due to the increasing influx of\u2064 unaccompanied children,\u2064 the\u200c Biden administration has \u200cbeen pressuring shelter staff \u2062to quickly release them to sponsors without thorough vetting.<\/p>\n<p>While HHS attempts to check \u200don all minors by\u2062 contacting them a month after\u200c they are placed with sponsors, The New York Times obtained data revealing \u2064that the department was unable \u200cto\u2062 reach 85,000 of the released\u200c unaccompanied children.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>During a meeting of the Subcommittee on National Security, \u2063the Border, and Foreign Affairs \u2063on April 18, HHS Office of Refugee \u200dResettlement \u2063Director Robin Dunn Marcos was unable to provide answers regarding\u200c the loss of \u200dcontact with\u2063 over 85,000\u2062 unaccompanied \u200cchildren in the past two years and the lack \u200dof vetting for sponsors.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>Mr. Ballard believes that the\u2063 &#8220;solutions&#8221;\u2063 to the child\u200d trafficking problem lie in the \u2062SECURE Act. On September 12, he joined Rep. Chris Smith\u200d in\u200d introducing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/118th-congress\/house-bill\/5415\/text?s=5&#038;r=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Safeguarding Endangered Children, Unaccompanied\u200c and at Risk of Exploitation (SECURE) \u2063Act of 2023<\/a>. This act would require the administration to file reports\u2063 detailing their efforts \u200cto \u200clocate, contact, and conduct wellness checks on the estimated 85,000 unaccompanied migrant children who have been lost track of after being released from\u2063 federal custody.\u200b It would also mandate investigations into any suspected cases of human trafficking \u200drelated to these children.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;This legislation\u200d is exactly where we\u200b need to start,&#8221; Ballard emphasized. &#8220;This is \u200can emergency, and we need to stop the\u200d bleeding. We must save\u200d children\u200b and save them \u200dnow.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u200b How can concerned citizens support the fight against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-nefarious-biden-doj-blasted-for-quietly-removing-sex-trafficking-info-from-website\/\" title=\"Biden DOJ under fire for silently deleting sex trafficking info.\">child\u2062 sex trafficking<\/a> \u200band urge elected officials to prioritize the safety and well-being of these vulnerable children<\/h2>\n<p><span>  As a former special agent for the Department of \u200bHomeland Security, Tim Ballard has\u200c dedicated his \u200dlife to fighting against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/alleged-changes-on-doj-website\/\" title=\"Possible changes on DOJ website\">child \u2064sex\u2063 trafficking<\/a>. \u2064His work and experiences\u200c are highlighted in the movie &#8216;Sound\u200b of Freedom&#8217;.\u200b Recently, Ballard appeared before the House Committee on Homeland\u2063 Security to shed light on \u2063the\u200c alarming situation of unaccompanied minors\u200c and children being sold into\u2063 sex trafficking. However, he expressed his disappointment at the Democrats&#8217; apparent downplaying of this critical issue.<\/p>\n<p>During the committee hearing,\u200b Ballard was\u200d struck by the\u2062 Democrats&#8217; refusal to \u200daddress the issue\u2063 of the 85,000 missing unaccompanied minors. Instead, they chose to focus\u200b on the separation policy that occurred \u200cthree years ago under \u2062the Trump administration, which temporarily separated\u2063 around \u200b5,500 children from their families. While any unjust separation of families is\u200c indeed \u2064a matter of \u200dconcern, it is disheartening to see\u2062 the \u200ccurrent plight \u200cof thousands of children being \u2062overshadowed and neglected.<\/p>\n<p>In an \u2064interview with The\u2064 Epoch Times, Ballard expressed his frustration, stating, &#8220;Clearly, they were trying to distract and deflect because there is no separation \u200bof families policy right now. But there is an\u2062 urgent \u2064situation going on with thousands of children \u200cright now.&#8221; It is essential to address the immediate and \u200cpressing issue\u200c at hand, rather than\u2064 diverting attention to past policies that have already been addressed.<\/p>\n<p>According to the data and\u200d information Ballard\u200b has gathered, including from the\u200d president of Guatemala, a \u2062shocking 70-75% of the children \u200cand women \u200bfrom Guatemala who make\u200d the \u2063journey to the United States have experienced sexual abuse and exploitation along the way. These vulnerable individuals are\u200b not just being \u2062used as pawns; \u2063they\u2062 are being \u200dbought and \u2064subjected to unimaginable abuse for the financial gain\u2064 of traffickers.<\/p>\n<p>The story of \u200bthese unaccompanied minors and the tragic reality of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-praises-sound-of-freedom-at-new-jersey-screening-an-incredible-inspiration\/\" title=\"Trump hails Sound of Freedom in New Jersey: 'Truly inspiring'\">child \u2064sex trafficking<\/a> should\u2064 be at the forefront of political\u2062 discussions. It is crucial for politicians, regardless of party affiliation, to \u2064acknowledge and address\u2064 this urgent \u200dissue with the\u200d gravity it deserves.\u2064 These\u2063 children are in \u2063desperate need of assistance, protection, and\u2064 justice, and it \u2062is\u200c the responsibility \u200dof the government and its representatives to act swiftly and\u200b effectively.<\/p>\n<p>Tim Ballard&#8217;s testimony before the House \u2062Committee on\u2063 Homeland \u2064Security serves as an\u2062 important reminder of the ongoing battle \u2063against child\u200c sex \u200btrafficking. It is a call to action for politicians to set aside partisan agendas and unite in prioritizing the safety and \u2064well-being of \u2062these vulnerable children. Ignoring their plight only perpetuates their suffering \u200cand perpetuates\u200d the crimes committed \u200dagainst them.<\/p>\n<p>As concerned citizens, we must amplify the voices of those like Tim Ballard who \u2063dedicate their lives to \u200dfighting against \u200bchild sex\u2062 trafficking. \u200cWe must urge \u2062our elected officials\u2063 to address this\u2064 pressing issue, allocate resources for victim support and \u2062identification,\u200d and \u2062take \u200bdecisive actions to \u2064dismantle\u200c the networks\u2063 of \u200dtraffickers.<\/p>\n<p>In\u2064 a society \u2062that prides\u2063 itself on justice and compassion, we cannot turn a blind eye to the suffering \u200dof these innocent children. It is time \u200cfor \u200dpoliticians to rise above partisan politics and work together to \u2064ensure the safety, protection, and freedom of \u2062all children, especially\u200d those who \u2062have already endured unimaginable horrors. The fight against \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-downplay-plight-of-child-trafficking-at-us-border-tim-ballard-says\/\" title=\"Tim Ballard claims Democrats minimize child trafficking crisis at US border.\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-call-double-standard-on-greenes-committee-removals-point-to-omar-remarks\/\" title=\"Republicans Call Double Standard on Greene\u2019s Committee Removals, Point to Omar Remarks\">child sex trafficking<\/a> requires collective action<\/a>, and it cannot be undermined \u200bor\u2062 downplayed \u200cfor political convenience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tim Ballard, the subject of the movie &#8216;Sound of Freedom&#8217;, criticized Democrats for ignoring the 85,000 unaccompanied minors still missing and the tragic situation of children sold into sex trafficking. He expressed his concerns during his appearance before the House Committee on Homeland Security. Ballard found it striking how Democrats on the committee seemed to downplay these issues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":225,"featured_media":2039711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2039710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2039710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/225"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2039710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2039710\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2039711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2039710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2039710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2039710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}