A Chinese migrant who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally was convicted Wednesday of charges involving possession of child pornography, the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of Texas announced.
Tong Sun, 45, crossed the southern border illegally on or around May 8 near Roma, Texas, according to the office. Authorities arrested Sun soon after, finding several videos that constituted child sexual abuse material or child pornography on his phone, one of which had a child who looked to be younger than five years old. (RELATED: Feds Raise Concerns Over New Pathway Fueling Migrant Crisis)
Videos on Sun’s phone showed sexual acts between a man and a female child believed to be below the age of five, and sexual acts between a man and a minor girl that is believed to be under the age of 13, according to court documents.
EAGLE PASS, TEXAS – DECEMBER 19: In an aerial view, thousands of immigrants, most wearing thermal blankets, await processing at a U.S. Border Patrol transit center on December 19, 2023 in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Sun confessed that it was his phone and to having child porn material, according to a court document. He could face up to 20 years in prison, in addition to up to a $250,000 fine, at his March 25, 2024 sentencing, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Federal authorities at the southern border have recorded a massive increase in migrants from China crossing illegally into the U.S. Border Patrol encounters of Chinese migrants in fiscal year 2023 shot up to 24,048 after surpassing 1,900 in fiscal year 2022 and 320 in fiscal year 2021, according to federal data.
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