Guatemalan Man Indicted Over Smuggling Teen Girl Into U.S. With Faked Documents

Federal authorities have indicted a Guatemalan man living in the U.S. without legal status, accusing him of smuggling a 14-year-old girl across the border and lying to authorities to gain custody of her.

According to the Department of Justice, 26-year-old Juan Tiul Xi faces several charges after allegedly convincing the teenager to illegally enter the U.S. and then submitting a falsified sponsorship application. Prosecutors say he claimed the girl was his sister, which led the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to release her into his care in September 2023. The DOJ claims Tiul Xi entered the country himself the same year, under the Biden administration.

Attorney General Pam Bondi didn’t mince words, blaming prior border policies for creating an environment where children can be exploited by traffickers. She promised relentless pursuit of justice for victims of trafficking and the border crisis. (If only policy debates moved as fast as these criminal cases do!)

The indictment charges Tiul Xi with encouraging or inducing illegal entry for financial gain, making a false statement, and aggravated identity theft. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison for the first charge, 5 years for the second, and 2 more for the identity theft.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons said the case demonstrates ICE’s determination to hold predators accountable for harming children. ORR leadership, meanwhile, claims they have ramped up sponsor vetting and now focus more on child safety when placing minors.

This prosecution is part of the DOJ’s "Operation Take Back America," intended to address ongoing threats, including those tied to human smuggling and border security.