Nicholas J. Ganjei United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
A 25-year-old woman from Laredo, Texas, was convicted of conspiracy to transport, attempting to transport, and attempting to bring a minor alien into the United States, as announced by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
The jury found Salma Galilea Veliz guilty after a two-day trial and deliberated for about 45 minutes on April 15. Veliz was first encountered by law enforcement on November 14, 2024, at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge in Laredo. She was accompanied by a three-year-old male and presented a Texas birth certificate, claiming the child was her son.
However, Veliz later admitted the child was not her own. She stated that she had picked him up in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and did not know his name or destination. She mentioned a person named "Malandro" was responsible for bringing the child to her and that she planned for the child to assume the identity of her biological son for smuggling purposes, in exchange for $2,500.
During the trial, evidence and testimony revealed the child's original birth certificate, indicating Mexico as his place of birth, and affirmed that he was a Mexican citizen with no authorization to enter the United States. The defense's argument that the child had claims to U.S. citizenship through an unknown father was unsuccessful, leading to Veliz's conviction.
“This verdict demonstrates that those who think they can make a quick buck by trafficking human beings—particularly children—are sorely mistaken,” said Ganjei. He emphasized the potential danger the child could have faced if the trafficking attempt had succeeded, praising law enforcement for their intervention.
U.S. District Judge John A. Kazen oversaw the trial and is expected to set a sentencing date. Veliz faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine but remains on bond pending the hearing.
The investigation was conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection, with support from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Department of State, and the Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa A. Lopez and Tory Sailer prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat illegal immigration, dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from violent crime. The initiative pools resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
