Rep. John Carter John Rice CarterDonna Imam wins Democratic runoff to face Rep. John Carter House panel advances bill banning construction on bases with Confederate names Democrats see victory in Trump culture war MORE (R-Texas) said Thursday that many "attractive children" attempting to emigrate to the U.S. are not reaching the southern border, falling victim to human traffickers instead.

The comments came during a hearing about U.S. immigration policy and border agencies, CNN reported Thursday.

"Believe me, a lot of the attractive children are not making it to the border," Carter said as an aside before the discussion moved on to other topics.

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Culberson said Central Americans put their lives at risk to get to the U.S. border, and the laws serve as a "magnet" for them.

People trying to get to the U.S. border through Mexico often have to pay smugglers for assistance. Along the journey, migrants can face life-threatening conditions, in addition to assaults and exploitation.



Officials in the Trump administration have said they hope to get rid of some of the factors that compel migrants to try to get across the border, which they say includes "catch and release" policies.

Earlier this month, Trump said undocumented women attempting to cross the border “are raped at levels that nobody's ever seen before.”