The Trump administration on Thursday announced three indictments against Guatemalan human traffickers responsible for trafficking tens of thousands of illegal immigrant children into the United States, as DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin vowed to move “heaven and hell” to find and secure the hundreds of thousands of missing migrant children who were trafficked into the country under the Biden administration.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton revealed in a video that his opponent, Xavier Becerra, who served as Secretary of Health and Human Services under Joe Biden, bears responsibility for the system that enabled and even incentivized the trafficking of children into the United States.
Every one of these cases of alleged child trafficking is the direct responsibility of Xavier Becerra.
— Steve Hilton (@SteveHiltonx) June 11, 2026
His deliberate and politically driven negligence makes him unfit to hold any public office, let alone governor of California. https://t.co/jZ3nO7Xrum pic.twitter.com/R1dVSCcNKR
"These indictments today from the Department of Justice are a devastating blow to Xavier Becerra. Because they shine a spotlight on his deliberate, politically driven negligence, that ended up placing tens of thousands of children in the hands of alleged child traffickers," Hilton said. "This is just the beginning, three indictments today, The Department of Justice says there are potentially 15,000 of these traffickers, with many more thousands of children that were trafficked in this manner. All as a direct result of Becerra's actions when he was HHS secretary. What he did and what happened to those children makes Xavier Becerra unfit for any public office, let alone governor of California."
Becerra’s department alone was responsible for losing contact with upwards of 85,000 migrant children after releasing them to sponsors who were not always properly verified. In other words, some of these “sponsors” could have been the children’s abusers posing as relatives or caregivers.
Nothing sums up @XavierBecerra’s failed leadership better than comparing vulnerable children to an assembly line.
— California Republican Party (@CAGOP) June 11, 2026
Children were put at risk, and Xavier Becerra let it happen. https://t.co/PBx9K7RDC3
Xavier Becerra gets called out by fellow California Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa for lying about the kids he lost under Biden:
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 7, 2026
“Are you proud that you pushed out 85,000 migrant children...you said those are MAGA talking points...tell that to the children who died." pic.twitter.com/51qFvxgvu5
This comes as Becerra won the Golden State’s gubernatorial primary, advancing to the general election. As the only Democrat in the race, he is expected to be the favorite to win.
