Nicholas J. Ganjei United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
A 23-year-old Mexican citizen has pleaded guilty to alien smuggling resulting in a fatality, as announced by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei today in McAllen, Texas. Jose Guadalupe Antonio-Arredondo acknowledged his role in facilitating the illegal entry of an individual on July 12, 2024. Acting as a river guide, Antonio-Arredondo led the individual and a brush guide across the river to the border wall before returning to Mexico.
Despite successfully crossing the wall, the illegal alien suffered respiratory distress and eventually collapsed. The brush guide, unable to assist, fled to a nearby residence to evade capture. Law enforcement located the individual and transported him to a hospital, where he succumbed to his condition on July 17, 2024.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane accepted the guilty plea and scheduled sentencing for June 20. Antonio-Arredondo could face life imprisonment along with a $250,000 fine. He remains in custody awaiting the hearing.
"Human smuggling is a dangerous enterprise, one that doesn’t care about the lives or well-being of those that are being smuggled," Ganjei remarked. "The loss of life in this incident is yet another example of why it is so vital to discourage people from risking their lives trying to enter this country illegally."
The Border Patrol spearheaded the investigation, with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Devin V. Walker. The case falls under Operation Take Back America, a comprehensive Department of Justice initiative targeting illegal immigration and organized criminal activities.
