A federal judge in Vermont sentenced Luis Fernando Barragan-Palacios, 29, to 18 months in prison for smuggling nearly 100 migrants across the Canadian border into the United States. Barragan-Palacios, originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, earned approximately $500,000 from the human smuggling operation over a five-month period. He is expected to be deported upon completing his sentence.
The discovery of 11 migrants locked inside the rear compartment of a U-Haul truck in New Mexico highlights the dangerous lengths smugglers will go to evade authorities and exploit illegal immigration.
Border Patrol agents in California apprehended Venezuelan migrant Jose Gonzalez Roa, a suspected member of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang. Gonzalez Roa has a lengthy criminal record spanning New York, Colorado, and California, where he is wanted for attempted murder. Despite previous deportations, the suspect managed to cross the U.S.-Mexico border multiple times, including a recent return to Mexico reportedly to visit his girlfriend.
Six suspected human smuggling incidents along the southwest border last week involved approximately 60 individuals and resulted in a tragic loss of life, according to the United States Coast Guard (USCG).
Three U.S. Army soldiers stationed at Fort Cavazos, Texas, were charged in a human smuggling case involving illegal immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed immigration policies are poised to significantly reduce illegal crossings at the U.S. southern border, according to experts and law enforcement officials.
Rajinder Singh, a 51-year-old Indian national, admitted in court to smuggling more than 500 Indian migrants across the U.S.-Canada border over a four-year period....
Authorities have arrested 18 individuals involved in a Yuma-based human smuggling ring, highlighting the persistent border security crisis facing the nation.
