2-year-old crosses border alone seeking parents in US, heartbreaking video from Texas DPS shows



The Texas Department of Public Safety shared heartbreaking videos on Sunday showing dozens of unaccompanied children who had recently crossed the southern border into the United States.

Among the group of 60 children was a 2-year-old girl who told law enforcement officers that she had journeyed alone and was hoping to be reunited with her parents in the U.S. In the video, the child clutched a piece of paper, which she extended toward the officers. Inscribed on the note was a name and phone number.

'Regardless of political views, it is unacceptable for any child to be exposed to dangerous criminal trafficking networks.'

An officer asked the child, "Did you come by yourself?"

She nodded her head in the affirmative.

"How old are you?" the officer inquired.

The child held up a couple of fingers and responded, "Two."

When asked where she was going, she replied, "With my mom and dad," who she stated were in the U.S.

The heart-wrenching video was shared by Texas DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez, who also posted two other clips showing unaccompanied minors lined up near the southern border, presumably while awaiting processing. Going down the rows, the children shared their age, country of origin, and their intended destination in the U.S.

Olivarez posted photographs of several "special interest immigrants" who appeared to arrive with the group of children.

He wrote on X, "This morning, @TxDPS encountered a group of 211 illegal immigrants in Maverick County. Among the group were 60 unaccompanied children/minors ages 2 - 17 and 6 special interest immigrants from Mali & Angola."

"This is a stark example of the precarious journey these children make from their home country & how criminal organizations traffic these children across the southern border & further into the interior," Olivarez continued. "Regardless of political views, it is unacceptable for any child to be exposed to dangerous criminal trafficking networks."

He explained that "hundreds of thousands" of children have gone missing during their journeys to the U.S., noting that "no one [is] ensuring the safety & security of these children except for the men & women who are on the frontlines daily."

"Despite the criticism over the years, the reality is that many children are exploited & trafficked, never to be heard from again," he added.

Texas DPS has rescued more than 900 children as a part of Governor Greg Abbott's Operation Lone Star, Olivarez said.

According to Customs and Border Protection data, more than 110,000 unaccompanied minors crossed the border in fiscal year 2024.

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Federal government did not properly track up to 320,000 unaccompanied minors: 'No assurance' they are 'safe from trafficking'



A new disturbing report from the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General found that the federal government has not been properly tracking the whereabouts of approximately 320,000 unaccompanied migrant minors. As such, it cannot guarantee the children are not being subjected to trafficking and exploitation.

The August 19 report from Inspector General Joseph Cuffari, whom former President Donald Trump nominated, revealed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been unable to monitor the status of hundreds of thousands of children released from the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Health and Human Services custody.

'Without an ability to monitor the location and status of UCs, ICE has no assurance UCs are safe from trafficking, exploitation, or forced labor.'

Unaccompanied minors who cross the southern border are apprehended by Customs and Border Protection and then transferred to HHS, which is responsible for finding and vetting sponsors for the children. In theory, these sponsors are supposed to be close relatives of the minors; however, under the Biden-Harris administration, the immigration system has become so overwhelmed that HHS employees are pressured to make placements quickly, and therefore, sponsors are not thoroughly vetted to ensure they are actually related to the child.

In 2021, federal employees blew the whistle on the department, claiming that it was putting children in "dangerous" situations, including likely placing minors with traffickers. One of those HHS whistleblowers, Tara Lee Rodas, previously testified that the agency "lost immediate contact with" 85,000 unaccompanied alien children.

A July report from the Wall Street Journal revealed that the Biden-Harris administration "repeatedly overrode the concerns of lower-level workers" and housed the children with guardians who had previously been rejected as sponsors.

The recent report from the inspector general found an "urgent issue," warning that "ICE cannot always monitor the location and status of unaccompanied migrant children who are released from DHS and HHS custody."

According to the report, of the 448,000 unaccompanied minors from fiscal years 2019 to 2023 transferred from ICE custody to HHS, 32,000 failed to appear for their immigration court hearings. Additionally, as of May, ICE did not serve Notice to Appear documents to more than 291,000 minors.

"Although we identified more than 32,000 UCs who did not appear for their immigration court dates, that number may have been much larger had ICE issued NTAs to the more than 291,000 UCs who were not placed into removal proceedings. By not issuing NTAs to all UCs, ICE limits its chances of having contact with UCs when they are released from HHS' custody, which reduces opportunities to verify their safety. Without an ability to monitor the location and status of UCs, ICE has no assurance UCs are safe from trafficking, exploitation, or forced labor," the report read.

ICE told ABC News that the interim report's findings may be "misleading and may be misconstrued because they fail to acknowledge key facts." According to the agency, it does not issue NTAs to unaccompanied children "until after they have been placed with sponsors who have been vetted by HHS."

Rob Law with the America First Policy Institute responded to the inspector general's report on social media, writing, "The day after the [Democratic National Committee] endorsed amnesty for human traffickers, the DHS Inspector General confirms that Biden-Harris handed over ~320k unaccompanied alien children back to the traffickers. This is FAR WORSE than the 85k lost UAC previously reported by NYT."

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NGO responds to allegations it subjected children to ‘repeated’ sexual abuse



A recent Department of Justice lawsuit accused a prominent nongovernmental organization of subjecting unaccompanied children to “repeated” sexual abuse and harassment. The nonprofit responded to the allegations, claiming that the DOJ's complaint "does not present the accurate picture of the care and commitment our employees provide to the youth and children."

Southwest Key Programs, a Texas-based nonprofit, partners with the Department of Health and Human Services to provide housing to minors who unlawfully cross into the United States without a parent or guardian. According to its website, the organization is “an integral partner in the U.S. response to the immigration crisis at our southern border.”

'The child’s accounts were partially corroborated by video footage.'

The DOJ’s lawsuit claimed, “From at least 2015 through at least 2023, multiple Southwest Key employees have subjected unaccompanied children in their care to repeated and unwelcome sexual abuse, harassment, and misconduct and a hostile housing environment, including severe sexual abuse and rape, solicitation of sex acts, solicitation of nude photos, entreaties for sexually inappropriate relationships, sexual comments and gestures, leering, and inappropriate touching.”

The suit alleged that some of the children were “threatened” by the employees to “maintain their silence” about the abuse. The organization was accused of “fail[ing] to take appropriate action to protect the children in its care.”

According to the DOJ, the children impacted by the alleged abuse were as young as 5 years old.

After unaccompanied minors are apprehended by Border Patrol at the southern border, they are placed with the HHS’ Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is responsible for providing humanitarian care and housing. The agency partners with several NGOs to provide these services, including Southwest Key.

As part of its partnership with the federal government, the HHS provides NGOs with grants funded by American taxpayers.

The DOJ’s complaint noted that Southwest Key is “the largest private care provider of housing for unaccompanied children in the United States.” The NGO operated 29 shelters, accommodating roughly 6,350 children.

“Between fiscal years 2015 and 2023, Southwest Key received over three billion dollars in funding from HHS,” it added.

During that period of time, the organization received complaints of sexual abuse and harassment “at the majority” of its facilities, the DOJ claimed.

In one instance in 2022, an 8-year-old girl reported that a Southwest Key youth care worker “repeatedly” entered her bedroom at night to abuse her. The worker was also accused of inappropriately touching a 5-year-old girl and an 11-year-old girl. He allegedly “threatened to kill their families if they disclosed the abuse.”

In 2019, a teenage girl passed a note to her teacher stating that a shift leader had “repeatedly raped, abused, and threatened” her.

“She reported she believed that Southwest Key employees were covering to protect the Shift Leader because, among other things, he would regularly switch assignments with other staff so that he could be alone with her,” the DOJ’s lawsuit read. “The child’s accounts were partially corroborated by video footage of the Shift Leader entering her bedroom and her journal documenting abuse. In addition, employees observed the Shift Leader’s failure to follow bedroom check policy and routinely entering the child’s bedroom (as well as entering other children’s bedrooms) for periods of time without other employees present.”

The DOJ’s complaint listed numerous other incidents of sexual abuse and harassment allegedly committed by the NGO’s employees. It is unclear how many children were allegedly subjected to the abuse.

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra stated, “HHS has a zero-tolerance policy for all forms of sexual abuse, sexual harassment, inappropriate sexual behavior, and discrimination.”

“The U.S. Department of Justice’s complaint against Southwest Key raises serious pattern or practice concerns. HHS will continue to work with the Justice Department and oversight agencies to hold its care-giving programs like Southwest Key accountable. And we will continue to closely evaluate our assignment of children into care-giving programs to ensure the safety and well-being of every child in HHS custody,” Becerra added.

The HHS’ Administration for Children and Families declined the Daily Caller New Foundation’s request for comment, deferring to the DOJ, which also declined to comment.

Blaze News reported on the allegations against Southwest Key last week, but at that time, the NGO had not publicly commented on the lawsuit. A spokesperson for Southwest Key has since told the DCNF that it still partners with the HHS’ Office of Refugee Resettlement.

“Southwest Key Programs’ primary focus is the safety, health, and well-being of each one of the children and youth we care for,” the spokesperson told the DCNF. “We continue to review the complaint, and it does not present the accurate picture of the care and commitment our employees provide to the youth and children.”

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Largest housing provider for unaccompanied migrant minors subjected kids to sexual abuse, DOJ lawsuit claims



"Multiple employees" of the largest housing provider for unaccompanied minors illegally crossing the U.S. southern border allegedly committed various forms of sexual abuse on children in their care, all while the nonprofit's leadership turned a blind eye, a new lawsuit from the Department of Justice claims.

On Thursday, the DOJ announced that it had filed a lawsuit against Southwest Key Programs Inc., claiming that by either facilitating or ignoring the abuse, the nonprofit had violated the Fair Housing Act.

Both employees also reportedly threatened to harm or even kill the children or their families if they reported the abuse. Perhaps equally as abhorrent, other staff members at the shelters allegedly knew about the attacks and failed to report them.

Southwest Key runs a total of 29 shelters for unaccompanied migrant minors, 17 in Texas, 10 in Arizona, and two in California. In all, Southwest Key can provide housing for 6,350 children.

Since at least 2015, some of the nonprofit's employees have allegedly engaged in heinous acts of sexual abuse, including "sexual contact and inappropriate touching, solicitation of sex acts, solicitation of nude photos, entreaties for inappropriate relationships and sexual comments," the DOJ press release claimed.

Thus far, at least two such employees have been criminally charged. A male working at the Casa Franklin shelter in El Paso, Texas, allegedly touched the "private area" of three girls between ages 5 and 11. Another employee from a Southwest Key facility in Tucson, Arizona, allegedly brought an 11-year-old boy to a hotel and paid him to perform sex acts for several days.

Both employees also reportedly threatened to harm or even kill the children or their families if they reported the abuse. Perhaps equally as abhorrent, other staff members at the shelters allegedly knew about the abuse and failed to report it.

"Southwest Key took insufficient action to prevent sexual harassment of the children in its care, failed to consistently follow federal requirements for preventing, detecting and reporting abuse including sexual harassment, failed to take appropriate or sufficient action to protect the children in its care and discouraged children from disclosing sexual harassment in violation of federal requirements," the press release stated.

Southwest Key receives funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As of May 31, nearly 7,800 children are in the care of HHS-funded facilities, though how many of those children are in Southwest Key shelters is unclear.

The AP reached out to Southwest Key for comment, as did Blaze News. We did not receive a response.

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Biden admin is ‘complicit’ in trafficking of unaccompanied minors: Gov’t whistleblowers



Federal government whistleblowers told senators on Tuesday that the Biden administration's Office of Refugee Resettlement, within the Department of Health and Human Services, likely placed unaccompanied minors with child traffickers, neglecting to properly vet sponsors.

Deborah White and Tara Rodas, federal employees, stated that they first discovered that the ORR was placing children in "dangerous" situations in June 2021.

'The most horrific injustice.'

After minors cross the border, Customs and Border Protection places unaccompanied children in the custody of HHS' ORR. It is the department's responsibility to find and vet sponsors to look after the minors. Its order of preference is first to try to turn the children over to parents or a legal guardian; however, according to Tuesday's testimony to the panel of senators, this rarely occurs.

"What I discovered was horrifying: children were being trafficked with billions of taxpayer dollars by a contractor failing to vet sponsors and process children safely, with government officials complicit in it," White stated. "Children were sent to addresses that were abandoned houses or nonexistent in some cases."

"In Michigan, a child was sent to an open field, even after we reported making an [sic] 911 call after hearing someone screaming for help, yet the child was still sent," White continued. "When I raised concerns about contractor failures and asked to see the contract I was told, 'You're not gonna get the contract and don't ask for it again.' So I took it upon myself to create trainings for significant incident reports of sexual abuse and for flagging trafficking, in order to equip case managers."

According to White, despite reporting her concerns, the children continued to be sent to "dangerous places."

"When we questioned documents, HHS ORR leadership said, 'You're not fake ID experts, and your job is not to investigate the sponsor. Your job is to reunify the child with the sponsor,'" White said.

Rodas told senators that the ORR did not meet with sponsors in person and noted that children were being placed with "random people."

She explained that a 16-year-old girl from Guatemala was placed with a man who claimed to be the child's brother, but it was "clear" that he was not. The female "looked drugged" and like "she was for sale" in pictures posted to the male's social media. She added that the male was "touching her inappropriately" and possessed other accounts on social media that contained child pornography.

Florida Department of Children and Families Secretary Shevaun Harris claimed that only 10% of unaccompanied minors are placed with their parents.

"It defies logic and is inhumane," Harris remarked.

Both White and Rodas claimed that the ORR and Cherokee Federal, a taxpayer-funded contractor tasked with resettling the unaccompanied children, ignored warning signs of potential trafficking operations.

White stated that Cherokee Federal staffed "several unqualified unvetted and quite frankly dangerous contractors with access to vulnerable children that did not get the appropriate support, services, or humanity they deserved after a most treacherous journey."

She added that the stories she has heard from some of the children "will haunt me for the rest of my life."

"HHS ORR leadership and the contractor allowed children to be trafficked on their watch and the taxpayers continue to fund it," White said, calling the department's program "the biggest failure in government history."

"This is the most horrific injustice against children that I have witnessed in my entire federal career," Rodas declared.

Neither HHS nor Cherokee Federal responded to a request for comment from the Post.

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Biden admin placed unaccompanied immigrant children in 'unregulated and unsafe' living conditions: Report



The Biden administration placed unaccompanied immigrant minors in homes that were not deemed safe by caseworkers, according to a Monday report from the Wall Street Journal.

The news outlet found that the administration "repeatedly overrode the concerns of lower-level workers," placing children with guardians who had previously been rejected.

In the first eight months of fiscal year 2024, there were more than 83,000 unaccompanied minor encounters nationwide, according to Customs and Border Protection data.

Two sources told the WSJ that emergency shelter caseworkers under the Biden administration have been instructed to place children in a home within 10 to 14 days.

As a result of the pressure to move children through the system as quickly as possible, some minors were placed in homes with ties to criminal activity, the report stated.

One child was moved to a "hostel-like" Florida home with three or more adults even after a caseworker recommended against it, according to internal government memos reviewed by the WSJ.

"It does not appear safe for the minor to be released to a home environment that was not fully assessed," the caseworker wrote. Those concerns were ultimately ignored.

Many of the denial reversals initiated by the Biden administration provided little detail as to why the guardians were later approved, the news outlet stated.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services told the WSJ it cannot comment on individual cases but added, "Child welfare best-practices are clear that children belong with family and not in shelters."

The HHS oversaw a network of shelters that provided care to the unaccompanied minors.

An HHS Office of Inspector General report published earlier this year found "gaps" in the department's guardian screening process, Blaze News previously reported.

"In 16 percent of children's case files, one or more required sponsor safety checks lacked any documentation indicating that the checkers were conducted," the OIG report stated. "For 19 percent of children who were released to sponsors with pending FBI fingerprint or State child abuse and neglect registry checks, children's case files were never updated with the results."

Neha Desai, the senior director of immigration at the National Center for Youth Law, told the news outlet, "Although well-intentioned, these sites were unregulated and unsafe."

"There was enormous pressure placed on the sites to rapidly release children from custody," she added.

In one instance, caseworkers found allegedly different sponsors residing at multiple addresses with ties to the same individual, the news outlet reported. Supervisors warned that it could be an indicator that the sponsor is recruiting children for labor trafficking.

One senior HHS official told the WSJ, "We're in a completely different place than we were when we started."

"We were stuck with what we had when we started on day one, which unfortunately did not set us up to be able to meet the challenges that we faced in 2021," the official remarked.

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HHS doesn't request background checks for juvenile illegal immigrants, says Biden admin official: Report



The Biden administration's Department of Health and Human Services does not request the criminal records of illegal immigrants under 18 years old, according to testimony provided by a senior HHS official, the New York Post recently reported.

Last June, Robin Dunn Marcos, an HHS official, told the House Judiciary Committee that the department does not request complete background check information for unaccompanied alien children. She testified that the HHS does contact the juvenile's home consulate or embassy to request some information.

'These policies have incentivized criminals.'

Marcos is the deputy assistant secretary for humanitarian services and the director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement in the Administration for Children and Families at HHS.

A House Judiciary Committee member told Marcos, "Earlier you mentioned that [the Office of Refugee Resettlement] contacts the UAC consulate and the UAC's home country to verify date of birth, birth certificate of the UAC, and whether the UAC is suspected of being an adult in those types of contexts."

"What else does ORR verify with consulates? What other type of information?" the committee member asked.

In testimony obtained by the Post, Marcos responded, "I believe that it is birth certificates and identity documents."

When asked whether HHS requests "the criminal record in the home country from the consulate," Marcos responded, "We do not."

Unaccompanied children, which includes those under the age of 18, are transferred to the ORR's custody. The department is responsible for providing the minor with food, shelter, and medical care. The ORR is also tasked with finding a sponsor to care for the child while they are in the U.S.

The department has been repeatedly criticized for its handling of the illegal immigration crisis, particularly regarding how it selects sponsors for minors. The HHS has been accused of having a "culture of speed over safety."

HHS whistleblower Tara Lee Rodas claimed that the department "lost immediate contact" with 85,000 unaccompanied alien children after placing them with sponsors. She stated that some of the so-called vetted sponsors are "criminals and traffickers and members of Transnational Criminal Organizations."

As of fiscal year 2023, of the lost children, 70% were age 15 or older, the Post reported. Most of the juveniles were boys, it noted.

The House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement issued a report on Monday that accused HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra of creating a "toxic situation" that endangers Americans and UACs.

"As the Committee and Subcommittee's oversight has shown, these policies have incentivized criminals, such as the MS-13-affiliated illegal alien who murdered Kayla Hamilton, to come to the southwest border, knowing they very likely will be released into the interior of the country. Tragically, the Biden Administration has failed to engage in necessary diligence in the case of the UAC that murdered Kayla Hamilton, instead doubling down on the very policies that enabled her murderer to roam free," the report read.

Hamilton, 20, was raped and killed by a 17-year-old MS-13 gang member who was allowed into the U.S. by DHS and placed in the custody of a sponsor. The suspect was previously arrested in his home country of El Salvador for his association with the gang. This information was only verified after Hamilton's murder, the committee's report noted.

When unlawfully crossing the border, some adult illegal aliens pose as children.

Simon Hankinson, a senior research fellow with the Heritage Foundation's Border Security and Immigration Center, previously told Blaze News, "You'd be amazed how many are '17' when apprehended. With no verified ID, and with DHS having deliberately abandoned DNA testing and not doing bone-density or other methods, there is no way to be sure. This is a great way for transnational criminal organizations (gangs) like Tren de Aragua and MS-13 to bring in members."

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Biden's HHS reportedly lost 85,000 migrant children — GOP lawmakers demand answers: Report



Republican lawmakers are demanding more information from the Department of Health and Human Services regarding the reportedly 85,000 unaccompanied alien children the agency can no longer locate, according to a Wednesday letter obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

What's the background?

In February 2023, the New York Times released an article that claimed the Biden administration's HHS, which is responsible for placing unaccompanied migrant children with sponsors, could no longer get in touch with tens of thousands of children. It noted that the agency is supposed to check in on the minors by calling them one month after they are placed with a U.S.-based sponsor. The report found that "over the last two years, the agency could not reach more than 85,000 children."

"Overall, the agency lost immediate contact with a third of migrant children" placed in its care, the Times stated. Kamara Jones, an HHS spokesperson, reportedly told the news outlet that, with the influx of migrants coming across the southern border, the agency was pressured to find sponsors for the unaccompanied children quickly, which ultimately compromised their safety.

"There are numerous places along the process to continually ensure that a placement is in the best interest of the child," Jones told the Times.

Last month, a group of nearly two dozen Republican attorneys general sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray, and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra claiming that there is "reason to believe" some of the missing children are victims of trafficking, Fox News Digital reported.

"The United States needs to stop handing over children to 'probable traffickers,'" the AGs wrote, noting that HHS "loosened vetting procedures." They speculated that "thousands of children have now fallen victim to forced labor and sex trafficking."

HHS Office of Inspector General released a report in February that found "gaps" in the agency's sponsor screening process.

"In 16 percent of children's case files, one or more required sponsor safety checks lacked any documentation indicating that the checkers were conducted," the OIG reported. "For 19 percent of children who were released to sponsors with pending FBI fingerprint or State child abuse and neglect registry checks, children's case files were never updated with the results."

Earlier this month, Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy from Louisiana also penned two letters, one to the Biden administration's Department of Labor and another to HHS, warning about the "upward trend in exploitative child labor." He blamed HHS for "relax[ing] sponsor vetting requirements."

Lawmakers demand action

On Wednesday, 10 Republican lawmakers, spearheaded by Rep. Lance Gooden of Texas, sent a joint letter to Becerra requesting additional information regarding HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement's process for approving sponsors and its efforts to ensure the children's safety.

The letter, obtained by the DCNF, read, "Amid the worst border invasion in our nation's history, it was reported last July that the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) lost contact with more than 85,000 children in sponsor care. Recently, an alarming report by the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) confirmed ORR is failing to fulfill various mandatory safety checks necessary to protect the safety and well-being of unaccompanied migrant children."

The lawmakers declared that HHS is "directly responsible for ensuring unaccompanied children are not lost, trafficked, or abused."

"One former border agent recounted witnessing traffickers 'providing' children to unrelated adults at the border, only for the adults to return those children to the traffickers after reaching their destination within the U.S.," the Republicans wrote.

Lawmakers demanded HHS answer several questions, including why the agency "remove[d] its citizenship requirement policy for UAC sponsors" and in what circumstances it does not require sponsor background checks.

"We are concerned that fraud surrounding UAC sponsorship is severe due to ORR's lackluster policies and procedures to verify a sponsor's identity and relationship to the child. Children apprehended, transported, and processed alone are not safe from human traffickers, who may pose as sponsors once migrant children are flown throughout the country by the federal government," the lawmakers stated.

The letter to Becerra was signed by several Republican representatives from Texas, including Gooden, Jake Ellzey, Brian Babin, Chip Roy, Beth Van Duyne, and Pete Sessions. Signatories also included Republican Reps. Clay Higgins from Louisiana, Diana Harshbarger from Tennessee, and Tom Tiffany and Glenn Grothman from Wisconsin.

Gooden posted on social media yesterday blaming Biden and his administration for the "intentional" border crisis.

"Joe Biden is responsible for the insurrection taking place at the southern border," he wrote.

HHS did not respond to a request for comment from the DCNF.

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Spirit Airlines places 6-year-old boy on wrong flight — and panic ensues: 'Where is my grandson?'



Spirit Airlines placed an unaccompanied 6-year-old boy on the wrong flight to Florida last week, which left the airline apologizing and the boy's grandmother frantic.

What are the details?

The child was supposed to fly from Philadelphia to Fort Myers on Thursday but was "incorrectly boarded" on a flight to Orlando, Scripps News said, citing reports.

"The child was always under the care and supervision of a Spirit Team Member, and as soon as we discovered the error, we took immediate steps to communicate with the family and reconnect them," the airline said in a statement CNN obtained, according to Scripps News.

The outlet said local news station WINK-TV spoke with Maria Ramos, who identified herself as the boy's grandmother: "They told me, 'No, he's not on this flight. He missed his flight.' I said, 'No, he could not miss his flight because I have the check-in tag.' I ran inside the plane to the flight attendant and I asked her, 'Where's my grandson? He was handed over to you at Philadelphia.' She said, 'No, I had no kids with me.'"

Not surprisingly, Ramos said it was one of the scariest moments of her life, Scripps News said.

Ramos added to the outlet that her grandson Casper called to say he landed. Problem was that Casper landed in Orlando — about 160 miles away from Fort Myers.

To add insult to injury, Good Morning America said Casper's luggage was placed on the correct flight and made it to Fort Myers.

Ramos added to the outlet that it was her grandson's first-ever flight.

After figuring things out, Ramos drove over three hours to get Casper, Scripps News said, adding that Spirit offered to reimburse her for the drive — but mainly Ramos wants answers.

"I want them to call me. Let me know how my grandson ended up in Orlando. How did that happen?" Ramos asked, according to the outlet. "The flight attendant ... did she let him go by himself? He jumped in the wrong plane by himself?"

Spirit said in its statement that it's investigating, Scripps News said: "We take the safety and responsibility of transporting all of our guests seriously and are conducting an internal investigation. We apologize to the family for this experience."

Family speaks out after 6-year-old placed on wrong flight youtu.be

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Pennsylvania Chick-fil-A restaurant bans unaccompanied minors after some repeatedly vandalized, stole, cursed



A Pennsylvania Chick-fil-A is barring solo patrons under 16 after unaccompanied youth repeatedly mistreated the restaurant's property, patrons, and employees, according to statement on the location's Facebook page.

"To dine in our restaurant, anyone under the age of 16 is required to be accompanied by an adult," the statement says, going on to explain in detail why the decision, which they "contemplated long and hard" was made.

"We want to provide a comfortable and safe environment for our guests and our staff, and also to protect our building. Therefore, we cannot allow this to continue," the statement also says.

The Chick-fil-A restaurant in Royersford, Pennsylvania began its statement by saying saying they "love being a community restaurant and serving guests of all ages," but that ongoing issues with unaccompanied youth engaging in unacceptable behavior at the restaurant had forced them into a corner.

"Children and teens are learning to navigate the world free from supervision and often push the boundaries. We simply can’t let them push those boundaries anymore at our restaurant," the statement concluded, thanking patrons for their understanding and encouraging parents to speak with their children about the matter.

The "unacceptable behavior" cited in the post includes using loud, explicit language; vandalizing property; stealing decorations; disrespecting employees' requests to change their behavior or leave; and walking in an unsafe manner through the parking lot and drive thru lanes.

The problems arise, according to the restaurant's statement, on Saturdays and days off from school. Chik-fil-A is not open on Sundays. On those days, parents drop off children and teens at a local park, and then some walk over to the restaurant.

The statement also includes an apology to their patrons under age 16 whose behavior is appropriate. They place the blame squarely on the "numerous extreme behaviors" of their out-of-control peers.

The post emphasizes that Chick-fil-A is not blaming parents for the situation, a comment with which some patrons responding to the post took issue.

"Why aren't you blaming the parents? It is absolutely a parenting problem ... Letting your cherubs run wild in society isn't parenting, it's neglect," one top comment said.

"I have the utmost respect for this post/decision and wish other places would take a similar stand ... I’m not sure why businesses tolerate the terrible behavior when it disrupts loyal paying customers," said another.

"When one can’t behave, they lose privileges. I agree with all your reasons for reaching this decision. Protect your business," said a third.

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