U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents rescued a 3-year-old Alabama girl who was abducted and taken across the southern border into Mexico, officials confirmed this week, as reported by Fox News

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) praised ICE for its “swift and decisive actions” that led to the safe recovery of the child, identified as Kionii Haugen, less than two weeks after her disappearance.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital that the girl was kidnapped by her mother, Haley Harris, who had been working in conjunction with a previously deported illegal alien accused of child rape.

Kionii Haugen, 3, was reportedly taken to the country by Haley Harris, 23, to be handed off as a debt payment owed to a cartel. The debt was reportedly not Harris’ own, but her current boyfriend’s, who is allegedly an illegal alien with a previous record of child molestation and… pic.twitter.com/gIXRRHVAS7

— 1819 News (@1819News) October 6, 2025

According to ICE, agents uncovered “disturbing details about Harris’s actions while in possession of the child.”

The agency said Harris maintained constant communication with her boyfriend, Pedro Pedraza-Trejo, a Mexican national deported from the United States who faces multiple charges for child molestation and rape in Washington state.

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Local outlet ABC 33/40 reported that Harris fled with her daughter from Orange Beach, Alabama, and traveled through multiple cities — including Pensacola, Atlanta, San Diego, Tijuana, and Mexico City — before being located by law enforcement.

ICE investigators said Harris contacted Pedraza-Trejo 193 times within just a few days while evading authorities.

“The fact that Harris maintained repeated contact with Pedraza-Trejo, a man convicted of such vile crimes, while illegally holding her child, underscores the gravity of her actions and the danger she posed to the child’s safety,” the ICE statement said.

McLaughlin explained that Harris forcibly removed the child from her father’s home before fleeing the country.

“Haley Harris broke into her ex-partner’s home and unlawfully kidnapped her child from the father’s Alabama home. She violated international parental kidnapping laws by fleeing to Mexico,” McLaughlin said.

It only takes one minute to check your assigned zone for Kionii Haugen at https://t.co/YVcgw3mycJ. Take that minute—save a life. pic.twitter.com/vNbv7QDuke

— Officer Calhoun (@OfcCalhoun) September 23, 2025

She added that Pedraza-Trejo’s deportation followed multiple child sex crime convictions, including molestation and rape of a minor.

Harris was located, arrested, and extradited to the United States on September 28 following cooperation between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement. She now faces federal charges for international parental kidnapping.

“Through coordinated efforts with U.S. and Mexican authorities, Harris was located, arrested, and extradited to the United States to face charges,” McLaughlin said. “The child has been safely returned to Alabama.”

Steven Schrank, the special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama, commended the cross-border teamwork that led to the successful recovery.

“This case highlights the power of collaboration between U.S. and international law enforcement agencies,” Schrank said.

“Thanks to the swift and decisive actions of our dedicated agents and partners, a child has been safely reunited with her family, and the individual responsible will face the consequences of her actions.”

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