White House Border Czar Tom Homan and Border Patrol agent Art Del Cueto were honored Thursday evening at the inaugural American Border Heroes Awards ceremony – a two-day, nationally televised event that recognizes the efforts of the men and women on the front lines of border security and the families who lost loved ones to illegal migrant crime. 

Homan received the "Border Defender Award" for his role in securing the southern U.S. border and his leadership in arresting illegal migrants.

"It's a great honor, but it's really about the men and women wearing the uniform," Homan said in accepting his award at the event, hosted by Just the News and The American Border Story and aired on the Real America's Voice network. 

"It's about the men and women in Border Patrol standing on that line every night," Homan continued. "It's about the men and women with ICE who strap a gun on their hip every day. So I'll take this in recognition of them."

Homan said one of the Trump administration's main focuses was finding the 300,000 migrant children who went missing under the Biden administration. 

"We're working hard at that already ... about 5,000 found and rescued," he said. "Some of them were with relatives, but some weren't. Some were in forced labor."

The Biden administration has lost track of hundreds of thousands of children who were allowed to enter the country unaccompanied by parents, leaving many prey to cartel extortion, forced labor, abuse and trafficking, according to reporting from 2023.

Spokesperson for the Border Patrol Council and border patrol agent Art Del Cueto was awarded "The Messenger Award." 

"It means a lot because I've been out there on that line for a long time through several administrations, making sure that the voice of the agents is heard," he said after receiving his award. "I put it out all the time on my social media. I always say, 'Agents' voices must be heard.'"

Del Cueto said he grew up watching Border Patrol agents and that he is blessed to wear the uniform. 

"The message isn't over," he said. "We've got to continue pushing it forward. We have got to let people know what's really going on. We have got to defend these agents."

In the past, Del Cueto has argued the Biden administration had policies that put migrant children in danger. 

He said that a 2024 executive order President Joe Biden signed enabled drug cartels to smuggle children into the country. 

Another award that was given out was the "Local Law Enforcement Award," which was given to Kieran Donahue, the president of the National Sheriffs Association and accepted on his behalf by Pinal County, Arizona Sheriff Mark Lamb. 

"I'm honored to be accepting, on behalf of Kieran Donahue, the president of the NSA, and all the sheriffs across this country," Lamb said. "But really, the tribute goes, much like what Tom Homan just said: The tribute goes to the men and women who put on the badge every day that are going out and protecting our streets."

The final award was "The Javier Vega Jr. Award," which was named in honor of Javier Vega, a Border Patrol agent murdered by an illegal migrant in 2014.

The award was presented to Border Patrol families as a whole and accepted by Javier's mother, Maria Herrera Vega, who described her son as an "amazing young man."

She said she didn't understand how anyone could defend the illegal migrant crisis due to its impact on American families.

"I can't just get it through my head," she said. "How can anyone defend illegal aliens? What about the American people? Why aren't we a priority? As long as I'm alive, I'm going to be a voice for my son and for all the angel families who lost a child."