Staff Reports
Tim Ballard, a former Homeland Security agent whose brave work to stop the trafficking of children was the basis for the hit movie "Sound of Freedom," wants the Biden government to put the safety of immigrant children first. At a passionate news conference with Rep. Chris Smith, a Republican from New Jersey, Ballard pushed for a law that would force the federal government to find the 85,000 unaccompanied minors who are not in touch with authorities right now.
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Ballard said that it was important to give these missing migrant children the same amount of protection as an American child who was found alone in a big U.S. city. He also brought up the scary fact that the United States is the country that buys the most material that exploits children. His message to the Biden government was clear: these children from other countries deserve better protection than what they are getting now.
Rep. Smith came up with the Safeguarding Endangered Children, Unaccompanied and at Risk of Exploitation (SECURE) Act to deal with this important problem. This bill would require federal agencies to report on their attempts to find released immigrant children, check on their health, and look into possible cases of human trafficking. Since the beginning of 2021, more than 345,000 unaccompanied children have crossed the border, and about 85,000 of them have lost touch with federal authorities. This puts them at a high risk of being used, abused, made to work, and trafficked for sex.
Rep. Smith said that the Biden Administration should be held responsible for its failed open-border policies, which put tens of thousands of children in danger. Smith praised Ballard's work and called him a real hero. Smith is a well-known activist against human trafficking and wrote the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. Rep. Smith will be in charge of the House Foreign Affairs global affairs panel, where Ballard will speak on Thursday to talk more about the SECURE Act.
The huge success of the movie "Sound of Freedom" shows how Ballard's work to stop the trafficking of children has made a difference. Jim Caviezel plays Ballard in the movie, which raised $5 million through crowdfunding and made an amazing $210 million around the world. It not only kept people interested, but it also gave Angel Studios the money it needed to pay back its backers and then some.
In these scary times, we must put the safety and well-being of all children, including those who have made the dangerous trip across the border, at the top of our list of priorities. Ballard's constant support for this goal and Rep. Smith's bill proposal are important steps toward reaching this goal. It's time for the Biden administration to realize how bad the situation is and move right away to protect these kids from the horrors of exploitation and abuse.
