A Mexican man, illegally present in the United States, pleaded guilty in federal court to smuggling other Mexican migrants from Canada into New York. He also pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm.
Swanton Sector Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia tweeted photos of a revolver used by a Mexican national while smuggling other Mexican migrants from Canada into New York in February. The man recently pleaded guilty to the charges.
A citizen of Mexico recently pleaded guilty for his involvement in human smuggling & unlawful possession of a firearm near Chateauguay, NY in February. Sentencing is scheduled for July where he faces a minimum of 5 years in prison. Read more from @NDNYnews https://t.co/q4fqxzCmzp pic.twitter.com/ZAacb57H96
— Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia (@USBPChiefSWB) April 10, 2023
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York announced that Rey Felix-Rubio, a 32-year-old Mexican national, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit alien smuggling and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Court records obtained by Breitbart Texas revealed that Burke Station Border Patrol agents were notified shortly after midnight on February 14 of an illegal migrant crossing near Chateaugay, New York. Surveillance cameras in the area observed a dark-colored midsized Jeep SUV driving in an area known for human smuggling.
Agents responded to the area after another camera detected five people walking south from the Canadian border about a half-mile from where the Jeep was spotted. The agents made a vehicle stop after finding the SUV and noticing multiple people inside. During an immigration interview, agents identified the driver as Felix-Rubio who admitted he has illegally entered the United States in 2021, the criminal complaint states.
The agents identified all five of the migrants as Mexican nationals who also admitted to illegally crossing the border that night.
The migrants told Border Patrol agents they paid an initial deposit of $2,000 and would be picked up near the border by “Rey.” Felix-Rubio was then to drive them to Virginia where they would pay an additional $1,000.
The migrants said when Felix-Rubio saw the agents, he pulled a gun from his waistband and placed it in a bag in the glove box. He then told the migrants to “keep quiet,” the complaint continues.
During an interview with Border Patrol agents, Felix-Rubio said he illegally crossed the border from Mexico into Arizona in November 2021 and remained in the U.S. since that time. He told the agents he was going to be paid approximately $5,000 to smuggle the five Mexican migrants into the U.S. He added that the vehicle and the gun belonged to his uncle and had been in his possession since leaving North Carolina. He also admitted that the held the gun and knew it was loaded, agents reported in the criminal complaint.
Felix-Rubio is now scheduled to appear before United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino on July 31, 2023, for a sentencing hearing. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison to a maximum of 15 years, In addition, he will be placed on a three-year period of supervised release.
The apprehension of more than 2600 migrants in the Swanton Sector during the first six months of FY23 is on pace to shatter the record for the most Swanton Sector Migrant apprehensions, Breitbart Texas reported. The previous record of 2,701 migrant apprehensions dates back to FY04.
So far this fiscal year, Border Patrol reports more than 1,500 migrant got-aways in the Swanton Sector. This brings the total number of known border crossers in the Swanton Sector to more than 4,200 migrants so far this fiscal year.
The Swanton Sector covers Vermont, New Hampshire, and part of New York.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.
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