Anthony Leonard Williams, 27, was sentenced to eight years in federal prison and two years of post-prison supervision for conspiracy to transport noncitizens. This sentence was announced in an August 8 news release from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Williams pled guilty to the charge on April 28, 2023. According to the August 8 news release from HSI, the case dates back to 2021 when law enforcement began investigating the smuggling of thousands of undocumented migrants in tractor-trailers. As the investigation progressed, Williams and Miguel Angel Hernandez, 26, from Donna, were identified as coordinators of smuggling undocumented individuals.
"This individual flagrantly disregarded our nation’s immigration laws, smuggling at least 560 noncitizens into the U.S. and even continuing to smuggle people into the country while he was out on bond. In addition to undermining our nation’s immigration laws, he put the lives of the noncitizens that he smuggled at risk by smuggling them in the back of a tractor-trailer in the searing Texas heat. Working in conjunction with our law enforcement partners, we were able to dismantle the human smuggling organization that he is affiliated with and put two of their leaders in prison," said Mark Dawson, HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge.
Hernandez was sentenced to nine years in prison for his role.
During the August 7 hearing, Williams was found responsible for smuggling at least 560 noncitizens, including loads that included 115 migrants in a tractor-trailer, among them unaccompanied minors. HSI stated that during at least one trip, migrants suffered severe dehydration because of how they were transported.
Homeland Security Investigations is the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). There are more than 10,000 employees at HSI who work in 235 offices across the United States and 93 overseas locations. HSI was created in 2010 when the Offices of Investigations, Intelligence, and International Affairs within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were combined into a new directorate known as Homeland Security Investigations.
