President-elect Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan broke down when speaking with The Post Wednesday about the heartbreaking viral video of a 2-year-old migrant girl arriving at the US-Mexico border alone — as the former acting ICE director said it exposes the barbaric truth of the crisis.
The tiny tot from El Salvador was found at the Texas border Sunday clutching a piece of paper with just a first name and phone number on it.
“That is an example of what I’ve been saying for the last few years, that illegal immigration is not a victimless crime,” Homan, who was noticeably upset and frustrated, fumed.
“People always ask, ‘Why do you get so emotional when you’re on Fox News, why do you get so emotional when you’re testifying to Congress and start yelling?’ It’s because I’ve seen more tragedies in 34 years than I can stomach,” the ex-cop continued.
“I’ve held dying children and I’ve helped dead children. I’ve talked to girls as young as nine who were raped multiple times by members of the cartel. I saw 19 dead aliens at my feet, a five-year-old boy was baked to death. I’m tired of it.”
The Texas Department of Public Safety released a video of its interview with the little girl, who said she came alone to the US and was going to her mom and dad, who were already here.
Authorities encountered her among a group of more than 200 illegal migrants — including 60 unaccompanied minors — in Maverick County, Texas.
Homan said he feels “sorry for this little girl,” but is “glad” to know that “the American people are seeing this because it has been hidden from the American people too long.”
“We’ve got to tell the truth about the tragedy on that border, about the women being raped by members of the cartel, about children being sexually assaulted. A child dies almost every f–king day on that border,” he raged.
“And that little girl, God bless her, we need to get her back to her family. The Trump administration will be very transparent on things like this to educate the American people. This is why we need to secure our borders, it’s about saving lives.”
NewsNation spoke to the woman whose phone number was written on the paper in the little girl’s hand. The woman, who claimed to be the tot’s mother, broke down in tears after learning that her daughter made it to the US.
She said she paid a smuggler to bring her daughter to the US but lost touch with them just days ago.
“They told me that the coyote had already handed her over to another coyote, but I don’t know anything else about her,” she said.
In recent years, the federal government has lost contact with roughly 320,000 children who have been released into the US after crossing the border alone.
While the incoming border czar recognized it would be a difficult task, Homan said it would be a “priority” for the Trump administration to find those children — many of whom have been exploited for sex and labor trafficking.
“This is such a stain on our nation,” an exasperated Tara Lee Rodas, a whistleblower with the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), told The Post on Monday.
Before she is reunited with her family, the young girl will likely be released to the HHS, the agency tasked with vetting her US sponsor.
However, the agency merely calls the sponsor on the phone to confirm they’re expecting the child, making them vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking.
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