Three Charged in Smuggling Conspiracy Involving Unaccompanied Minors; DOJ Highlights Systemic Vetting Failures
The Justice Department announced charges against three individuals in Ohio for allegedly conspiring to fraudulently sponsor unaccompanied migrant minors and smuggle them across the U.S. border. The indictment, unsealed in the Northern District of Ohio, covers activity from December 2020 to October 2023 and includes 19 counts against siblings Maritza and Carlos Cahuec Coc, along with a separate charge against Gladys Marina Caal Chen. Officials also announced a guilty plea from a fourth individual, Juan Tiul Xi, who was convicted of sexually abusing a minor in his custody.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced federal indictments Thursday against Maritza Azucena Cahuec Coc, Carlos Agustin Cahuec Coc, and Gladys Marina Caal Chen in connection with an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain custody of unaccompanied migrant minors through the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement program. The Cahuec Coc siblings are accused of submitting false sponsorship applications claiming familial relationships to children they did not know, with Carlos found traveling with a 16-year-old unaccompanied minor at the time of his arrest. A fourth individual, Juan Tiul Xi, separately pleaded guilty after prosecutors say he smuggled a 14-year-old girl into the U.S., falsely claimed to be her brother, took custody of her, and then sexually abused her; he received an eight-year state prison sentence and 26 months in federal prison. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin alleged the Biden administration failed to vet sponsors and conduct wellness checks, claiming 450,000 children went missing under that administration, with 146,000 since located by the current administration. Federal officials also disclosed that more than 81,000 addresses were used to repeatedly receive unaccompanied minors, over 76,000 mandatory safety checks were missing, and more than 97,000 cases lacked background checks. Blanche stopped short of announcing any plans to criminally prosecute former Biden administration officials, though he described the oversight failures as 'an incredible dereliction of duty at best.'
What's missing
The announced figure of 450,000 'missing' children attributed to DHS Secretary Mullin lacks methodological clarification — it is not explained how 'missing' is defined, how the 146,000 'located' figure was determined, or whether these children were ever formally reported missing versus simply having lost contact with ORR after aging out or being placed with sponsors. Independent verification of these statistics is absent from both sources.
How coverage differed
CBS News reported the story with relatively neutral framing, presenting both the charges and the administration's political allegations against Biden-era officials with appropriate attribution. Breitbart framed the story primarily as evidence of deliberate wrongdoing by the Biden administration, repeatedly emphasizing the defendants' immigration status as 'illegal aliens,' and characterizing the UAC program itself as a systemic failure enabled by prior leadership rather than focusing on the criminal conduct of the charged individuals.
What different sources said
Related
CIS Study: Non-Citizen Households Use Welfare at Higher Rates Than U.S.-Born Households in Nearly Every State
A new analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies found that 47% of non-citizen-headed households used at least one means-tested welfare program, compared to 28% of U.S.-born-headed households. The study drew on five years of Census Bureau data and found the gap persisted across nearly every state, with the largest disparities in New York, Massachusetts, and California. The findings reignite a long-running debate over immigration and public benefit usage, though the methodology has been contested by other researchers.
Pilot Killed in Small Plane Crash Near Twin Oaks Airpark in Washington County, Oregon
A small two-seater experimental plane crashed into a grassy field near Twin Oaks Airpark in Hillsboro, Oregon on Friday afternoon, killing its sole occupant. The crash occurred during takeoff and sparked a grass fire that spread to a nearby field before firefighters contained it. The NTSB and FAA are investigating the cause, and flights at the airpark were canceled for the remainder of the day.
Ohio Police Chief Arrested in Florida on 70-Count Child Sex Indictment
Bethel Police Chief Chad Essert, 44, was arrested Tuesday night in Seminole, Florida, following a Clermont County grand jury indictment on 56 counts of sexual battery and 14 counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. The alleged offenses occurred between 2005 and 2010, when Essert was an instructor with the Young Marines program and a teacher at Scarlet Oaks Career Campus in Sharonville, Ohio. If convicted on all counts, Essert faces a maximum of 280 years in prison, and authorities are urging any additional potential victims to come forward.