Pam Bondi announces expansion of Joint Task Force Alpha to combat human trafficking and smuggling by cartels at U.S. borders. (AP)
"These operations are getting people killed," Bondi said. "The cost of human smuggling is huge. So many families are dying."
The Attorney General also detailed how one smuggling ring coached their clients, including children who came to airports alone and were put on planes for connecting flights.
"They charged up to $40,000 per victim," she said. "They used Zelle to transfer over $7 million over the course of this scheme, and I believe they had cash profit of over 18 million."
Bondi told reporters that since President Donald Trump took office, JTFA had already charged 56 defendants tied to smuggling conspiracies.
She highlighted one case involving what she called a "monster" who tried to transport migrants across the U.S.-Canada border, resulting in deaths from exposure.
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Soldiers patrol the streets of Aguililla, Michoacan state, Mexico, on March 11, 2022 after violent cartel activity. (Getty Images)
Other Texas officials at the press event outlined specific cases underscoring the cruelty of smuggling operations.
U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons, Western District of Texas said children as young as three had suffered THC poisoning after traffickers gave them drug-laced gummies to keep them calm and "compliant throughout the process."
"The cartels see kids like cocaine," he said, describing how children are treated as expendable in the billion-dollar illicit trade.
U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei, Southern District of Texas added the cartels "do not care if you or your children have access to food, water, or even air to breathe. They do not care if you live or die."
Launched in June 2021 under then Attorney General Merrick Garland, JTFA was created to target the most prolific human-smuggling and trafficking networks in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.
The task force has since expanded to cover operations in Panama, Colombia, and now northern and maritime U.S. borders.
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JTFA has been credited with over 300 arrests, over 240 convictions, and more than 170 sentencing outcomes, while seizing millions in illicit profits, vehicles, weapons, and property from smuggling organizations.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bondi-says-human-smuggling-getting-people-killed-us-she-announces-crackdown