by Jason Hopkins
A woman arrested for allegedly leaving her newborn baby in a dumpster is living in the United States unlawfully, federal immigration authorities confirmed on Wednesday.
The Houston Police Department charged Everilda Cux Ajtzalam with child abandonment after she allegedly left her baby in a dumpster in southwest Houston earlier this month, according to ABC13, a Houston-based outlet. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that Ajtzalam is an illegal migrant who entered the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor.
“On July 26, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Houston lodged an immigration detainer with the Harris County (Texas) Jail on Everilda Cux Ajtalam, an 18-year-old Guatemalan national who illegally entered the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor, following her arrest for abandoning a child without intent to return,” an agency spokesperson stated to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
First responders on July 21 rescued a baby named Gabriel who was left in a dumpster behind an apartment complex in southwest Houston, according to ABC13. Emergency medical services took him out of a trash bag before placing him in a blanket and placing him into the care of Child Protective Services.
Police accuse Ajtzalam of giving birth inside a taco truck, immediately tossing the baby into the nearby dumpster and then cleaning her taco truck, according to ABC13.
Border Patrol agents have encountered more than half a million unaccompanied minors since President Joe Biden entered office, according to the latest data from Customs and Border Protection. Those numbers are among the more than 7 million illegal migrants who have attempted to cross into the U.S. during this time.
Under Texas law, local and state law enforcement are required to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. This nearly ensures that ICE’s detainer request will be honored by the Harris County Jail and Ajtzalam will eventually be taken into the agency’s custody.
Following his rescue by first responders, the baby was determined to be in good health.
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Jason Hopkins is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Everilda Cux Ajtzalam” by Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Background Photo “courtroom” by Zachary Caraway.
