Sex criminals, gang members abused child immigration program to enter US, DHS reveals
EXCLUSIVE — The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says that thousands of illegal aliens — many of them sex criminals, murderers and known members of brutal gangs — have abused...
By Fox News · Fox News
EXCLUSIVE — The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says that thousands of illegal aliens — many of them sex criminals, murderers and known members of brutal gangs — have abused a program meant to protect at-risk minors in order to gain entry into the United States. A report from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) first obtained by Fox News Digital reveals the extent to which the Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) program is riddled with fraud, and oftentimes exploited by the worst-of-the-worst criminals to gain legal status into the country. The program recipients are offered legal permanent resident status and eventually naturalization . It was created to offer a safe haven to children of illegal immigrants who have been victims of abuse, neglect or abandonment. USCIS' Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate uncovered more than a decade's worth of abuse of the program from fiscal years 2013 through 2025. HOMAN VOWS ICE DETENTION FACILITY 'ISN'T GOING ANYWHERE' DESPITE DEMOCRATS' PUSH TO SHUT IT DOWN Among illegal alien entrants who took advantage of the program, at least 120 had arrest records for murder . Another 200 approved SIJ petitioners were convicted of sex offenses, and more than 500 were known or suspected members of the brutal Salvadoran street gang MS-13, which has pervaded communities across the U.S. High-profile cases of SIJ abuse by criminals include a New York MS-13 leader who pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in connection to eight murders in which he was involved. Another illegal alien entrant had a long history of gang activity in Massachusetts and allegedly participated in a drive-by shooting that killed two and wounded five others. His petition for SIJ status was approved in 2023, after the deadly shooting occurred. FOUR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS LINKED TO MS-13 INDICTED FOR ALLEGEDLY MURDERING 14-YEAR-OLD BOY IN MARYLAND PARK Four MS-13 gang members in Virginia who were approved for the SIJ program were indicted for rac…