A federal judge sentenced a 27-year-old Pharr, Texas, man to eight years in federal prison for his role in a migrant smuggling operation that authorities suspect moved thousands of migrants from the border into the U.S. interior.
Alamdar S. Hamdani, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, announced the sentence on Wednesday for Anthony Leonard Williams, who pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to transport illegal immigrants. During the sentencing hearing, the court learned that Williams continued to direct the smuggling of illegal immigrants while out on bail.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzalez Ramos ordered Williams to serve his 96-month federal prison sentence, followed immediately by two years of probation. According to U.S. Attorney Hamdani, Williams was charged with smuggling at least 560 illegal immigrants. This only counts those arrested by authorities, and Williams may have been responsible for smuggling thousands of immigrants into the United States.
Some shipments of illegal immigrants have had as many as 115 people in the back of a trailer, including unaccompanied minors. In one smuggling attempt, some people needed treatment for dehydration. Breitbart Texas reports that smuggling migrants in trailers may be the most dangerous method authorities encounter along the Southwest border. In one instance, 53 migrants were trapped in a trailer in 2022 and died from extreme heat and lack of oxygen.
Authorities began investigating a ring that smuggled thousands of illegal immigrants in tractor trailers in the summer of 2021. During the course of the investigation, law enforcement identified Miguel Angel Hernandez and Williams as coordinators.
Hernandez, 26, of Donna, Texas, had previously been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for his role in an immigrant smuggling ring. The investigation led authorities to believe that Hernandez outranked Williams in the ring’s leadership.
After pleading guilty, Williams was released on bail to await sentencing and will be held after his sentencing hearing until he is transferred to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined shortly.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara J. de Peña prosecuted the case.
Randy Clark Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as Chief of the Law Enforcement Operations Division, where he led operations for nine Border Patrol stations in the Del Rio Sector, Texas. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
