Seven children that were being smuggled by people inside the migrant caravan were rescued by Guatemalan authorities, the U.S. watchdog group Judicial Watch said.
A picture shows the children inside what appears to be a bathroom, surrounded by trash and clothing.
The unaccompanied minors were taken from human smugglers inside the caravan and were provided with food, water, and medical attention, a Guatemalan government official told the group on Oct. 25. The smugglers were arrested.
The United Nations on Oct. 26 estimated there were 2,300 children traveling in the first migrant caravan. Human smugglers often target children because they enable aliens entering the United States to portray themselves as families.
NEW: Judicial Watch is reporting on the ground in Guatemala and has obtained exclusive information and photos from Guatemalan authorities revealing that they have recovered seven unaccompanied minors from human smugglers operating inside a caravan. (1/2)https://t.co/sxDUX7dHw6
— Judicial Watch ???? (@JudicialWatch) October 25, 2018
“While those traveling with the caravan hope for safety in numbers, the perils of using irregular migration routes remain significant, especially for children,” stated the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
“The journey is long, uncertain, and full of danger, including the risk of exploitation, violence, and abuse,” UNICEF said.
Criminals
U.S. officials confirmed previously that there are criminals and gang members in the migrant caravan.
“This caravan deal presents an opportunity for incredible criminal activity,” Chris Farrell, Judicial Watch’s director of investigations, told the Washington Times.
Farrell spent time with the caravan and said he saw among the migrants men with gothic-script “MS” tattoos, indicating they were part of the violent MS-13 gang.
Farrell also said he saw what Border Patrol agents refer to as “special interest aliens,” or migrants from countries that have possible or established links to terrorism. The Department of Homeland Security said that migrants from the Middle East are part of the caravan.
Abducted Child
As the second and third migrant caravans moved north, the first caravan was recently pushed to a stop by organizers after a report of an abducted child.
Coordinators told migrants to stay put on Sunday after reports that a child had been abducted, reported The Associated Press.
The migrants were in the town of Tapanatepec.
“Groups of migrants were running through the town’s streets saying a migrant’s child had been snatched. Something similar led to a panic at an earlier stop, but was not confirmed,” the wire agency reported.
Raul Medina Melendez, security chief for the tiny municipality in Oaxaca State, said town officials were distributing sandwiches and water to migrants camped out on Saturday when a man with a megaphone asked the migrants to wait patiently for their turn.
That’s when a group of migrants beat him while others hurled insults. He was rushed to the hospital.
