A Mexican pastor is currently incarcerated and awaiting sentencing after being convicted this week of forced labor charges related to a migrant shelter he ran in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua.
This week, Pastor Belia Hernández González was tried and ultimately found guilty before Chihuahua state Judge Jorge Arturo Gutierrez Ortiz. The Diario de Juarez reportThe guilty verdict came after a trial lasting more than two months in which prosecutors presented evidence and witness testimony about various incidents of abuse by Hernandez against various migrants in his custody, including using various threats to keep them in compliance, forcing them to work, and allegations of attempted sexual abuse.
The religious leader is scheduled to be sentenced next week and could face up to 180 years in prison.
Hernández González lived in Apocentre Alto, a shelter in Ciudad Juárez where she and her family cared for migrants, and received support and financial assistance from various U.S. departments. The shelter was part of a network of shelters aimed at helping address the migration crisis that has plagued border cities in recent years.
But prosecutors allege that Hernandez mistreated migrants at the shelter, fed them rotten food and threatened to block their immigration proceedings between October 2021 and April 2022. Under various threats, Hernandez also forced the three men to do construction work while they were staying at the shelter.
according to In La Jornada, migrants were forced to work day and night on various construction projects for the pastor, without receiving any compensation.
One migrant said a pastor’s son named Nestor R. offered them methamphetamine and other drugs during their stay. Others said Nestor would approach other migrant men naked and solicit various sexual offers.
Three other witnesses refused to attend the hearing, saying they felt intimidated.
The women collected a weekly fee from each migrant and did not allow them to leave the country for more than a day. According to testimony, she made the migrants sign non-disclosure agreements about what happened inside. If they violated the agreement or her terms, the pastor would block them from processing their asylum applications in the United States.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist at Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. twitter and FacebookContact details: email address.
Brandon Darby is Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and other senior Breitbart executives. twitter and FacebookContact details: email address.
