Guatemalan man indicted for child smuggling, false custody claims in DOJ case

A Guatemalan national residing in the U.S. illegally has been indicted for his alleged role in smuggling a 14-year-old girl into the country.

Juan Tiul Xi, 26, was indicted on Thursday for allegedly coaxing a 14-year-old girl into illegally entering the U.S., according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) statement. Tiul Xi is also accused of submitting a sponsorship application containing false statements to gain custody of the teen.

“The prior administration’s border policies created an environment that enabled human trafficking and allowed bad actors to take advantage of at-risk children,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “We are committed to protecting children from the scourge of human trafficking and will not rest until we deliver justice for those who suffered during the border crisis.”

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Tiul Xi allegedly entered the U.S. illegally under the Biden administration in 2023. The DOJ alleges that after entering the country illegally, Tiul Xi encouraged the teen to say she was his sister. The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) then  reportedly relied on Tiul Xi’s false statements to release the teenager into his custody on Sept. 5, 2023.

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The DOJ says Tiul Xi is charged with one count of encouraging or inducing illegal entry for financial gain, one count of making a false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement, and one count of aggravated identity theft. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison for encouraging illegal entry, up to 5 years for the false statement, and 2 years for the identity theft charge, according to the DOJ.

“This case is a testament to ICE’s commitment to hold predators accountable for the harm they inflict on children,” said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons.

ORR Acting Director Angie M. Salazar said that the office has “significantly increased” its sponsor vetting process which now prioritizes “the well-being of the child.”

“We hope that our commitment is evident by our collaboration with law enforcement to right previous wrongs and help bring these crimes to light,” Salazar said in a DOJ press release on Tiul Xi’s indictment.

The case is part of the DOJ’s Operation Take Back America, which the DOJ says aims to combat “the ongoing threats and risks that the American people elected President Trump to address.”