Abandoned toddler saying ‘mama’ and ‘papa’ found near Texas-Mexico border, feds say

An abandoned toddler child was found among a group of migrants traveling through Texas on Nov. 28, border officials said.

Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents in McAllen, Texas encountered the group of 47 people at midnight, according to a news release. When they did, several migrants from the group told the agents that there was a young boy with them and that they found him abandoned near a river.

The child couldn’t communicate with agents, and could only say the words “mama” and “papa,” the release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. Agents guessed him to be about 2 years old.

He didn’t have any processing documents or identifying information on him. However, agents at a Border Patrol processing facility noticed a phone number written on his shirt. They called it and got in touch with the child’s mother, who confirmed that he was 3 years old and from Honduras, the release said.

The child was with one of several groups who were apprehended by Border Patrol agents in Texas on Nov. 28, the release said. One hundred sixty-eight migrants from Venezuela were discovered by agents at 6 p.m. in La Poloma, Texas, and a smaller group of 10 migrants from various countries was encountered by agents at 10 p.m. in Roma, Texas.

“Multiple migrants claimed they were housed in an unknown hotel in Matamoros, Mexico, and were transported in buses prior to making their illegal entry,” according to the news release.

This story was originally published November 29, 2021 at 7:53 PM with the headline "Abandoned toddler saying ‘mama’ and ‘papa’ found near Texas-Mexico border, feds say."