A federal judge has scheduled an August 26 trial for a California couple, Laura Aracely Rodriguez and Cristian Velez Gutierrez, who were accused of smuggling two Mexican boys into the US. The incident occurred at a tactical highway checkpoint near Westmoreland, California.
According to court records, on [date], a Border Patrol agent stopped the couple’s vehicle, which had cleared inspection at the Calexico port of entry. The agent asked for their identification and purpose of travel, and Rodriguez presented a US passport card while Velez showed his “green card” residency document. They claimed they were driving to shop at the Cabazon Outlets.
However, the agent became suspicious when he noticed two boys in the back seat, including a teenager who allegedly told border agents that “the lady is driving me to be reunited with my parents.” The agents interviewed the older boy and discovered that Rodriguez had admitted to picking up the two Mexican boys from a woman in Mexicali, Mexico, for $6,000. The woman reportedly used her own children’s identity documents to cross the boys into California.
Velez stated that he accompanied his wife on the trip to ensure she wouldn’t be alone, but knew the boys were not authorized to be in the US. A female passenger in the vehicle, who is under 18 and is believed to be Rodriguez and Velez’s daughter, was released after border agents determined that the baby she was carrying was hers.
Rodriguez pleaded not guilty ahead of trial, while Velez waived indictment on August 1. The two Mexican boys were placed in immigration custody, with the older boy kept as a material witness before being released to a parent or guardian after approval by the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
Source: Border Report
