Last week, CBS reporter David Begnaud posted a video online of his tense encounter with a human trafficker at the southern border as he witnessed two migrants guided across the Rio Grande “in broad daylight” just a few hundred yards from a border checkpoint.

Begnaud — whom John Sexton notes is the same reporter who debunked the false claims about the iconic “crying girl” photograph — went down to the border at Roma, Texas for a story about plans to survey the land for a future security fence. Stationed at a “lookout point” near a U.S. Customs checkpoint, Begnaud and his producer drove over the international bridge to the Mexican side of the river, leaving the camera crew on the American side.

That’s when Begnaud witnessed a smuggler using a raft to deliver two people across the border to the American side. When Begnaud began to film the illegal crossing on his cell phone, a “scout” approached him from his right, threatening that he was “not safe” and needed to leave, which Begnaud caught on film. The threats from the trafficker grew intense enough that Begnaud and his producer became afraid for their safety and headed back to the border checkpoint.- READ MORE

Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Raul Ortiz said he’s seeing a growing number of migrant children crossing the border with people pretending to be their parents.

“We really are concerned, especially for those tender-age children because quite often they can’t communicate that they’re not with a family member,” he said.

He said during long and dangerous treks toward the U.S. border, which can span several weeks, agents worry about the kind of abuses these children may face.

On Thursday, officials revealed that in seven of 102 cases involving children under 5 separated from their guardians, the adult was determined not to actually be the parent. – READ MORE