A Texas man was sentenced to federal prison last week after admitting to smuggling more than 2,500 illegal immigrants into the United States.
According to court documents, 35-year-old Isai Orona, nicknamed “Panda,” received a 54-month prison sentence for conspiring to transport illegal immigrants and transporting illegal immigrants.
Orona was identified in WhatsApp communications.
The Horizon City resident “admitted to smuggling over 2,500 undocumented noncitizens within approximately six months in 2023. Many car loads of undocumented noncitizens were transported to Albuquerque, New Mexico and on to other locations,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Texas said. “He also admitted to having a network of drivers to transport the undocumented noncitizens in at least 12 vehicles, which he obtained or helped others to obtain.”
In addition to the prison sentence, Orona received a money judgment of $250,000.
U.S. Border Patrol agents also apprehended a co-conspirator who had been transporting nine migrants in El Paso.
American Faith reported that within the first 33 hours of President Donald Trump’s second term, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested more than 460 illegal immigrants nationwide. These individuals have criminal histories including sexual assault, robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, drug and weapons offenses, resisting arrest, and domestic violence.
Upon Trump’s inauguration, the CBP One app used by migrants to enter the United States shut down.
“Effective January 20, 2025, the functionalities of CBP One that previously allowed undocumented aliens to submit advance information and schedule appointments at eight southwest border ports of entry is no longer available, and existing appointments have been cancelled,” a statement on the Customs and Border Protection website reads.
According to a 2023 report from the House Homeland Security Committee, 278,431 appointments were scheduled through the CBP One app between Jan. 12, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2023. More than 265,000 migrants were released into the U.S. during that period.
