NM AG releases immigration enforcement report
ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KVIA) – The United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico recently published statistics regarding immigration and border crimes.
Numerous prosecutions were registered between March 1-7, with the partnership of El Paso sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, the Homeland Security Investigations El Paso and other agencies.
About 83 individuals were charged with illegal re-entry after deportation, smuggling of undocumented migrants and illegal entry to the U.S., according to the report.
Out of the 83 cases , three stand out. The first, Isaias David Jose and Tomas Mateo Gaspar were charged with hostage taking and harboring undocumented migrants. They were found after a search warrant was executed in a residence in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Ten undocumented migrants where found in the residence, including a man who was being held in a locked room. His family reported the kidnapping to the FBI who started an investigation and obtained the search warrant against Jose and Gaspar.
The family was told they would have to "pay $18,000 in ransom or their relative would be turned over to the Mexican Mafia," according to the report. Other undocumented migrants found in the home confirmed they faced similar threats.
Another investigation resulted in charges filed against Jose Ruiz-Gamez, Uzziel Carmona-Lopez and Donaciano Carmona-Lopez for possession of illegal firearms. All three are Mexican nationals illegally in the U.S.
Roberto Rodrigo Velazquez-Lopez is facing charges after fleeing from a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint while smuggling undocumented migrants.
