California.- Border Patrol Agents assigned to the San Clemente Border Patrol Station Checkpoint prevented an alleged incident of child trafficking rescuing a baby from a suspected suspect child trafficker on Friday.
The incident occurred at approximately 1:40 a.m. when officers referred a vehicle carrying a man and a baby to the secondary inspection area.
Agents conducted an immigration inspection and questioned the driver. The driver said that picked up the baby in Otay Mesa and did not know the boy’s name or where he was taking him.
Child Protective Services were contacted and took the child custody. The case has been turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation.
“Due to the vigilance of our agents, we were able to prevent this child from being trafficked and potentially exploited,” San Diego Sector Patrol Chief Agent Aaron M. Heitke said.
Take measures against the illegal exploitation of migrant children
The government of USAannounced last Monday that it will crack down on companies that are using immigrant minors who cross the border without their parents or an adult to exploit them in different types of illegal jobs.
Since 2018, the Department of Labor has seen a 69% increase in the number of children illegally employed by businesses. In the last fiscal year, the department found that 835 companies it investigated had employed more than 3,800 children in violation of labor laws.
The maximum civil money penalty under current law for a child labor violation is $15,138 per child.
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