16 migrants indicted on charges of illegally entering Texas National Defense Area
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- 16 migrants accused of illegally entering the U.S. through the Texas National Defense Area (NDA) were just indicted by a federal grand jury in El Paso.
The federal government set up the NDA in April. It spans from EL Paso to near Fort Hancock. Several federal statutes are in place that establish criminal penalties for unlawful intrusions into areas designated as National Defense Areas.
Federal prosecutors say some of the defendants have been removed from the country previously. Those include Mexican nationals Leonel Sotelo-Santillan, Rafael Cabrera-Barron, Ramon Benigno Mancinas-Rodriguez, Cuban national Aldanay Caridad Carricarte-Grillo, Guatemalan national Carlos Tomas-Cristostimo, and Salvadoran national Juan Carlos Lopz-Uriasan.
"If convicted, these individuals can face terms of imprisonment for up to 20 years if previously convicted of an aggravated felony, up to ten years if previously convicted of a felony and otherwise and up to two years in federal prison," federal prosecutors say.
Federal prosecutors say there were also 138 new NDA-related immigration cases added to their docket. Also, they say over 220 defendants pleaded guilty throughout the week.
