A man from Chugaik, Alaska, has been indicted in the Southern District of Texas for allegedly paying to bring unauthorized immigrants into the United States. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, Nicholas J. Ganjei, announced that Douglas Price, 44, is accused of using a business payment account to pay approximately $5,000 to smugglers to bring a Honduran woman and her child into the country.
Price is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kyle F. Reardon in Anchorage, Alaska.
According to the criminal complaint, the woman and her child were separated during their journey. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated: "This man allegedly paid smugglers to bring an illegal alien child and mother to this country, and in doing so, the child ended up alone during the dangerous journey. Under POTUS, vetting of sponsors for unaccompanied alien children is as strong as ever, and federal partners found this 'sponsor' to be unfit. It is a crime to smuggle illegal aliens into this country, and particularly horrendous to expose a child to untold dangers. Working with our federal partners, we will continue to uphold the law and in doing so, keep children from potential harm."
Ganjei commented on the case: "This indictment demonstrates the far-reaching and positive impact a secure southern border provides for all Americans. Price allegedly spent thousands of dollars attempting to smuggle two aliens, including an unaccompanied minor, more than 4,000 miles, from the Texas border all the way up to Alaska. Price’s alleged scheme unreasonably subjected this child to incredible risk, as human smuggling is a dangerous, and often even deadly, business. Now, Price will be paying for his own return trip—to a federal courthouse in the Southern District of Texas."
Law enforcement reportedly apprehended the unaccompanied minor on January 16 after crossing at Hidalgo. The mother was taken into custody six days later at the same location.
The indictment returned on February 3 charges Price with conspiracy to bring aliens into the United States and encouraging them to enter or reside illegally. If convicted, he could face up to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
The investigation involved Homeland Security Investigations offices in McAllen and Anchorage with support from Border Patrol; Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations; Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Refugee and Resettlement; and U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Devin V. Walker is prosecuting with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Alana Weber in Alaska.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America—a national initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at countering illegal immigration activities.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas operates under the U.S. Department of Justice with offices across Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen and Brownsville (source). It employs over 200 attorneys covering 43 counties with more than nine million residents (source). The office prosecutes federal crimes such as those related to immigration while also handling civil cases involving government interests (source). Its leadership history includes figures like Alamdar Hamdani (2022-2025) (source) among others.
An indictment or criminal complaint represents an accusation only; defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty through due process.
