Two Plead Guilty to Illegal Migrant Transport for 'Profit' From Alabama to Texas

An Alabama resident and an undocumented immigrant from Mexico pleaded guilty to conspiring to transport undocumented migrants for profit, federal prosecutors said.

Kelly Denise Hernandez, 38, of Birmingham, Alabama, and Enrique Garcia-Gonzalez, 27, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, entered guilty pleas before U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles in Baton Rouge, according to U.S. Attorney Kurt L. Wall.

According to court admissions, Hernandez, Garcia-Gonzalez, and another co-conspirator agreed to transport undocumented migrants who had allegedly been smuggled into the United States from Mexico.

In one instance, Hernandez and Garcia-Gonzalez travelled from Birmingham to Houston, where prosecutors said they planned to charge the migrants a fee for transportation within the United States. Authorities later stopped and apprehended the pair in Denham Springs, Louisiana, while they were travelling back to Birmingham.

Hernandez and Garcia-Gonzalez each face up to 10 years in prison, fines of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release. Garcia-Gonzalez could also face deportation proceedings after completing any prison sentence.

U.S. Attorney Kurt L. Wall credited U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lyman E. Thornton III and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen L. Ross are prosecuting the matter.

Federal officials said the case is part of ‘Operation Take Back America,’ a DOJ initiative targeting illegal immigration, cartels, transnational criminal organizations and violent crime.

Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that uses the full resources of the DOJ to combat illegal immigration, dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect communities from violent crime.

According to the DOJ, the initiative coordinates efforts and resources across the agency’s task forces.

“As part of Operation Take Back America, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania is concentrating on the crimes that cause the greatest harm: illegal immigration, extensive drug and gun trafficking networks, violent criminals, repeat offenders, and human smugglers,” the DOJ said in a statement.

“The goal of Operation Take Back America is simple: to protect our communities, hold offenders accountable, and ensure that families can live free from fear.”