An officer with U.S. Border Patrol shared an image this week on X, formerly known as Twitter, of a baby said to have been abandoned at the U.S.-Mexico border. In the picture, the baby's face is blurred.
Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez posted the image with the title "Heartbreaking News Alert," writing that the baby, estimated to be 2 months old, had been left behind at the Rio Grande City border area.
Chavez wrote, "This is a chilling reminder of how children are being exploited by human smugglers & criminal organizations every day."
It wasn't clear if a USBP investigation had confirmed the exact circumstances surrounding why the baby was left behind and not in the care of an adult when agents found the young child.
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No further information about the child was released by USBP.
According to reports, it is believed that the infant is a boy.
According to a September report from UNICEF, children have been migrating through countries in Central and South America, along with the Caribbean, at historically high levels.
Key migration routes include through the treacherous Darien jungle between the north of Colombia in South America into Panama in Central America. Also, migration has increased in other key areas in Central America and into Mexico which borders the United States.
Migration has also increased from key locations in the Caribbean region.
Garry Conille, the Caribbean director for UNICEF's Latin American division said, "Gang violence, instability, poverty and climate-related events are, alarmingly, gripping the region and pushing more children from their homes."
In August, two young siblings were found abandoned in Rio Grande City. They were a 7-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy, according to the U.S. Border Patrol.
Conille said, "More and more children are on the move, of an increasingly young age, often alone and from diverse countries of origin, including from as far away as Africa and Asia. When they cross several countries and sometimes the entire region, disease and injury, family separation and abuse may plague their journeys and, even if they make it to their destination, their futures often remain at risk."
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