A federal contractor for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was arrested after attempting to smuggle 39 adult migrants through Texas by falsely claiming they were children who had tested positive for COVID-19.
Nancy Berenice Fernandez Luna, 35, was caught at a Border Patrol checkpoint, where she presented her ICE contracting credentials and claimed to be transporting children. A secondary inspection revealed that the bus was actually filled with illegal adult migrants.
Both Fernandez and Juan Torres Ayala, who was hired to drive the bus, were arrested and charged with transporting individuals without legal status. Torres admitted he was aware the migrants were in the country illegally and had been promised $1,800 for the job.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Fry requested that Fernandez be held without bond, pointing out that this wasn’t her first attempt at smuggling migrants. However, U.S. Magistrate Judge Nadia S. Medrano set her bond at $50,000 with GPS monitoring.
Fernandez’s former employer, MVM Inc., stated that she had not worked for the company for six months but did not explain why she still had her ICE credentials.
This incident underscores ongoing concerns over illegal immigration and border security. According to recent reports, over 400 individuals on the Terrorist Screening Database were encountered by border agents in fiscal year 2024.
Warnings have also been issued about potential foreign fighters with ties to groups like Hamas or Hezbollah attempting to enter the U.S. through Mexico.
