Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has announced the indictments of three illegal aliens who allegedly took part in a conspiracy to smuggle more than a dozen children into the United States.

Blanche told reporters at a news conference in Washington on June 11 that the individuals—Maritza Azucena Cahuec Coc, 38; her brother Carlos Agustin Cahuec Coc, 33; and Gladys Marina Caal Chen, 20—were from Guatemala and arrested in northern Ohio.

According to the acting attorney general, the three submitted numerous fraudulent sponsorship applications to sponsor children and obtain custody of them.

These individuals are what Blanche called “super sponsors,” and thousands of these cases are currently under investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

“This is one example, one indictment, but it is not unique,” Blanche said. “There are over 15,500 super sponsor cases that we have identified.”

“Super sponsors” are individuals who sponsor more than three unrelated children who are unaccompanied minors entering the United States.

According to the acting attorney general, these cases are often tied to children who have entered the United States and are now missing, and some have been exploited or abused.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said at the same news conference that when the current administration took over his department, there were 450,000 missing or unaccounted-for children who entered the United States unaccompanied.

“We found 146,000 kids so far, 146,000 kids,” Mullin said, calling the reports of what has happened to some of them “horrific.”

“We still have nearly 300,000 missing.

“We’re investigating reports to where some of these kids claim that they were raped 600 to 700 times.”

He cited reports stating that more than one-third of females, regardless of age, are sexually assaulted when attempting to enter the United States through the southern border.

Blanche cited the work of the DOJ and Joint Task Force Alpha in a nationwide effort to deal with crimes against unaccompanied minors.

“As is obvious from the numbers—this is a vast problem, but it’s something that we’re extraordinarily focused on, and will remain focused on until it’s completely fixed, addressed, and remedied,” Blanche said.

The task force is a partnership between the DOJ, DHS, FBI, Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, and others, to “dismantle human smuggling and human trafficking rings throughout the Americas,” according to Blanche.

The DOJ has directed every U.S. attorney’s office to pursue all viable charges related to unaccompanied minor sponsor fraud and other related crimes, including labor or sex trafficking and alien smuggling.

Additionally, each of those offices has a designated coordinator focused on the issue to help coordinate communication between law enforcement agencies and facilitate the prosecution of defendants involved in trafficking children.

“I don’t care if you have kids, if you don’t have kids, I don’t care if you’re liberal, you’re independent, you’re a Democrat, you’re Republican—if you can’t stand for law enforcement to go find these kids, who are you?” Mullin said.

He went on to assert that many of those his agency has found to be suspected or guilty of these crimes are in sanctuary cities “because they know they’re safe.”

Blanche discussed other steps the DOJ is taking to combat human trafficking.

“We will not accept half measures when it comes to securing the border, protecting American lives, and saving children from exploitation,” he said. “In this administration … the border will be secure, innocent children will be protected, and sponsors should be properly vetted, and those who seek to commit crimes by way of our borders will face justice.”

Additionally, the acting attorney general announced the sentencing of an illegal alien, also from Guatemala, who was found guilty of smuggling a 14-year-old child into the United States, and sexually assaulting the minor.

Juan Tiul Xi, 27, arranged for a smuggler to bring the Guatemalan teen into the United States through illegally submitted sponsorship applications, lying and saying that he was the child’s brother. He then reportedly sexually assaulted this teen.

He will serve a total of 10 years in prison based on his state and federal convictions.

“As a father of six, with three young girls, I will do whatever I have to do,” Mullin said in regard to finding the hundreds of thousands of missing children. “I will move heaven and hell to go find these kids.”

The day before, DHS reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had arrested criminal illegal aliens for crimes including child cruelty, sexual battery by restraint, sexual penetration with an animate object, trafficking heroin, and burglary.

“Yesterday, ICE arrested child abusers, sexual predators, and drug traffickers,” acting Assistant DHS Secretary Lauren Bis said.

According to the agency, nearly 70 percent of ICE arrests were illegal aliens charged with or convicted of a crime in the United States.

Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said during a June 9 event that the U.S. southern border wall will be complete by the end of next year.

Scott told a Washington audience that the “primary border wall,” which stretches from San Diego to Texas, “will be done by the end of 2027,” noting that there are a “couple of gaps.”

“The only places we’re not building a border wall is places where we’ve made a conscious decision that we don’t need it,” Scott said.