3-Year-Old Alleges Abuse in Texas Foster Home

A three-year-old girl allegedly suffered sexual abuse while in a Texas foster home under federal custody after being separated from her mother at the U.S.-Mexico border near El Paso last September, her father said, learning the full details only after attorneys pursued a court petition to secure her release.

The child and her mother crossed the border on September 16, 2024. The mother faced charges for making false statements to authorities, leading to their separation. The toddler was then placed in the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which manages unaccompanied migrant children, and sent to a foster home in Harlingen, Texas. Court documents indicate that during her five-month stay, a caregiver noticed the girl's underwear was on backward and became concerned. The child disclosed multiple instances of abuse by an older child in the home, which caused bleeding.

The girl's father, a legal permanent resident living in the United States, sought to sponsor her release but encountered repeated delays in the process, including unavailability for required fingerprinting appointments. Officials informed him only that his daughter had been in an accident and would be...