Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
LAREDO, Texas – A 36-year-old woman from Fort Worth has been sentenced to federal prison for attempting to smuggle two Mexican children into the United States. She told border officers she was bringing them to their mother in Fort Worth.
On August 8, 2024, Sandra Perez applied for admission into the U.S. while driving an SUV. Along with her three minor U.S. citizen children, she had two minor Mexican children in the vehicle. Perez falsely claimed the Mexican children were her own and attempted to present birth certificates and Social Security cards that belonged to her other children as proof.
When the Mexican children were unable to answer questions from authorities, Perez admitted to attempting to smuggle them into the U.S. for their mother in Fort Worth, knowing they lacked legal authorization to enter the country. She also acknowledged that she expected to be paid $5,000 per child after delivering them.
Perez pleaded guilty on November 19, 2024. U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña sentenced her to three years in federal prison. She will remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility at a later date.
“Smuggling children is absolutely reprehensible,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “We don’t know what could have happened to these children if the defendant had managed to evade authorities. Fortunately, law enforcement uncovered Perez’s lies and halted her smuggling scheme before it could succeed.”