The Justice Department announced earlier this week that it has charged 14 individuals associated with a significant alien smuggling operation, while an additional eight individuals were apprehended for trafficking hundreds of undocumented migrants into the United States.
A grand jury in Las Cruces, New Mexico, issued an indictment against these 14 individuals for conspiracy related to the transportation, harboring, and entry of illegal aliens into the country. As stated in a DOJ press release, eight of those indicted have been arrested.
“Today’s indictment suggests that the defendants participated in a complex conspiracy to smuggle aliens into and across the United States, posing significant risks to the migrants, which tragically resulted in one fatality,” remarked Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon from the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
Bacon further noted, “The Justice Department collaborated with our partners at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to dismantle an alien smuggling network based in Mexico, which is believed to have trafficked hundreds of undocumented migrants, including unaccompanied minors, through New Mexico and South Texas.”
“We are dedicated to eradicating transnational alien smuggling organizations that exploit vulnerable migrants for profit and threaten our national security.” The indictment indicates that the defendants were part of a conspiracy to illegally transport undocumented individuals from Mexico into the United States via the southern border. It also alleges that they facilitated the movement of these individuals within the U.S. and concealed them in “stash houses” along their journey, as detailed in the press release.
In certain cases, the defendants are accused of evading law enforcement by driving at excessive speeds and instructing undocumented individuals on how to escape U.S. Border Patrol and avoid checkpoints. The indictment also claims that one undocumented person perished from heat exposure during a smuggling attempt and was left behind in the desert, as noted by the Department of Justice.
“Human smuggling organizations pose a threat to our national security and take advantage of vulnerable individuals for financial gain, endangering their lives and compromising public safety,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin for the District of New Mexico. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of New Mexico is dedicated to collaborating with our federal, state, and local partners to dismantle transnational human smuggling networks, hold their leaders accountable, and confiscate the illegal profits generated by these exploitative operations,” Kastrin added.
These arrests follow a series of executive orders issued by President Donald Trump, which reversed nearly all of the immigration and border policies implemented by the Biden-Harris administration, effectively creating an “open border” scenario for the majority of their four-year term.
During the previous administration, it is estimated that nearly 8 million individuals were detected crossing illegally into the U.S. under Biden-Harris. “We are grateful to our courageous law enforcement partners for their ongoing diligence in investigating and apprehending members of transnational criminal organizations that seek to undermine our nation’s immigration laws for profit, showing a callous and reckless disregard for human life,” remarked Jason T. Stevens, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) El Paso.
This unfortunate case highlights the grave reality that human smuggling is a criminal activity that endangers lives and poses a threat to public safety. Stevens emphasized, as stated in the DOJ press release, that ICE HSI is deeply committed to leveraging its extensive authority to identify, investigate, and apprehend those who exploit the vulnerabilities of individuals they regard as mere cargo.
Each defendant faces charges of conspiracy related to the transportation, harboring, and bringing of illegal aliens into the United States. If found guilty, they could receive a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
A federal district court judge will ultimately decide the sentence, considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines along with other relevant statutory factors, as noted in the DOJ’s press release.
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