Homeland Security Investigations

More than 100 people are now facing federal charges in connection with an alleged sham marriage scheme. Investigators arrested dozens named in a 206-count indictment.

A Guatemalan man allegedly paid a family the equivalent of $130 to “rent” their eight-year-old son so that he could go to the U.S. as a “family,” federal prosecutors told a Tucson grand jury in March. He also allegedly paid another $130 (about 1,000 quetzales) to another person who created a false birth certificate for the child.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials are deploying additional resources to the southwest border to combat the number of false family claims being made by Central American migrants. Of 100 interviews conducted this month, Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) special agents say they found evidence of fraud in more than 25 percent of family unit claims.

A pilot, accused of the attempted smuggling of four illegal immigrants from an airport in the Rio Grande Valley to Houston for a fee of $3,000, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of conspiracy to transport aliens as part of a plea deal.

A Texan from Brownsville was sentenced to 32 months in federal prison for attempting to smuggle a grenade launcher barrel into Mexico last year.

A Mexican national received more than 16 years in federal prison for his role in masterminding the smuggling of more than 26 kilograms of methamphetamine from northern Mexico into the United States through a Texas port of entry, according to unsealed court documents.

HOUSTON, Texas — A federal court handed down a 30-year prison sentence to a man convicted on charges of child sex trafficking and related crimes. The convictions follows his arrest in 2012 following his return from London.

U.S Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and Border Patrol agents seized approximately 140 pounds of methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl at the Arizona border during three separate inspections on the afternoon of September 27.

Federal law enforcement agents arrested 25 members of the hyperviolent transnational criminal gang known as MS-13 in California for their alleged involvement in murder, kidnapping, assault, and drug trafficking cases.

A Texas teacher, who told federal agents he used child pornography to cope with depression after his wife died, lost his bid Wednesday to be released on bail.

Federal authorities filed charges against a member of the Texas National Guard for allegedly stealing drugs seized at a border crossing in Laredo, Texas. The guardsman was deployed under Operation Guardian Support at the time of the alleged crime.

Federal agents teamed up in the El Paso-Juárez Metropolitan Border Area to disrupt cartel-connected human smuggling operations throughout the month of June. The operation led to the arrests of human smugglers, 117 illegal aliens, and the seizure of cash, vehicles, and drugs.

Federal law enforcement officials say a large weapons cache seized in the Texas border town of Laredo was likely heading to Mexico. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents and other law enforcement agencies teamed up to stop a large quantity of semi-automatic weapons, ammunition, and ballistic armor from being smuggled to Mexican drug cartels in Nuevo Laredo.

Immigration agents teamed up with Border Patrol agents and Eagle Pass Police Department officer to remove 47 illegal immigrants from a stash house located near the Mexican border. The raid also resulted in the arrest of three U.S. citizens on charges of human smuggling.

Border Patrol Agents teamed up with local, state, and other federal law enforcement partners to shut down four human smuggling stash houses in South Texas. The raids over a two-day period resulted in the apprehension of 159 illegal immigrants.

Border Patrol agents in the Del Rio Sector teamed up with agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to rescue 39 illegal immigrants from a human smuggling stash house in Eagle Pass, Texas.

Border Patrol agents working near the Rio Grande River border with Mexico identified five stash houses and arrested nearly 70 illegal immigrants inside. Agents worked with local law enforcement agencies to conduct the raids.

Homeland Security Investigations special agents arrested 120 people at an illegal cockfighting event in far southwest Arkansas. Agents determined that many are illegal immigrants.

77 Northern California businesses were required this week to comply with immigration audits of their workforces in what U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has described as “protecting jobs for U.S. citizens” and other lawfully employed individuals.

McALLEN, Texas — Federal authorities arrested a Texas teacher on charges for allegedly working with a Mexican cartel to smuggle drugs into the U.S.

U.S. authorities are tracking down the individuals behind a shipment of $1 million dollars headed south to Mexico’s Gulf Cartel.

Human smugglers operating in the border city of Laredo stuffed 76 illegal immigrants into the cargo area of a tractor-trailer in an attempt to get them past a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint. The tactic appears to be gaining popularity but has led to multiple deaths as human smugglers find new ways to maneuver around authorities.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents arrested nearly 800 members of the hyper-violent transnational MS-13 gang in operations carried out across the U.S. in Fiscal Year 2017. The arrests came as part of an emphasis from the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security that resulted in the arrest of nearly 5,000 total gang members.

Nearly 300 MS-13 gang members are behind bars following the conclusion of a joint international law enforcement effort led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “Operation Raging Bull” resulted in the arrests of 214 MS-13 members and affiliates in the U.S. and 53 in El Salvador.

Federal authorities arrested an Oregon man after he allegedly used his 1-year-old stepdaughter to make child porn images he distributed on Kik, a private messaging app.

Suffolk County law enforcement and New York State Liquor Authority officers conducted inspections at two known MS-13 haunts in New York. The inspections led to the arrest of seven people. Officials turned two others over to immigration officials.

Police in the Rio Grande Valley rescued 17 illegal aliens whom human smugglers locked in a trailer for hours. The illegal aliens came to the U.S. from Romania, Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico.

A woman in South Texas faces a minimum of 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to sex trafficking a 9-year-old girl.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials report a recent gang enforcement operation called “Project New Dawn,” led to 1,378 arrests of which 1,095 were gang members or associates.

Law enforcement immigration officers and agents joined forces to round up 39 members of the hyper-violent MS-13 criminal gang. Six other people were also arrested during the operation.