A video released by Border Patrol on Wednesday shows smugglers dropping two children several feet over the border wall before turning around and abandoning them.
The two girls, ages 3 and 5, were abandoned by smugglers in the New Mexico desert in the middle of the night.
The two Ecuadorian sisters, ages 3 and 5, were taken to a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) station in Santa Teresa, New Mexico on Tuesday night to be evaluated by medical personnel. They were then transported to a local hospital as a precaution.
The CBP said the children are in good health.
“I’m appalled by the way these smugglers viciously dropped innocent children from a 14-foot border barrier last night. If not for the vigilance of our agents using mobile technology, these two tender-aged siblings would have been exposed to the harsh elements of desert environment for hours,” Chavez said.
Chavez added that U.S. agents are working with Mexican authorities to identify the smugglers “so as to hold them accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” she said.
President Joe Biden’s administration has faced bipartisan criticism for its handling of the influx of unaccompanied minors at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Photos have recently been released showing the inhumane conditions inside of a migrant facility in Donna, Texas where children are forced to sleep on top of each other as the facility is at a 1,500% capacity.
According to official statistics, the Department of Health and Human Services had 12,918 migrant and refugee children in their care as of Tuesday, while CBP was responsible for the care of another 5,285.
Experts estimate 117,000 unaccompanied minors will enter into the country by the end of the year.
