'Betrayal of duty': US Army soldiers get prison in West Texas migrant smuggling case
Former Pfc. Enrique Jauregui, 26, who recruited two other soldiers in a smuggling attempt he organized, was sentenced to two years plus nine months (33 months) in prison in federal court in Pecos, Texas, last week on June 16, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement. He also was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.
More: Drug cartels: Bodies hanged from bridge outside Juárez. Armored vehicles seized.
Jauregui recruited Spc. Angel Palma, 21, and Pfc. Emilio Mendoza Lopez, 22, to drive from Fort Hood (then named Fort Cavazos) to pick up a group of undocumented migrants at the border near Presidio, Texas, on Nov. 27, 2024.
All three soldiers pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of aiding and abetting the transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain.
In May, Palma and Mendoza Lopez were each sentenced to two years (24 months) in federal prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
"The sentencing of these individuals underscores the serious consequences of engaging in human smuggling," Homeland Security Investigations El Paso Special Agent in Charge Jason T. Stevens said in a statement. "Recruiting fellow soldiers to participate in illegal activities, culminating in a reckless high-speed chase with law enforcement, is a blatant betrayal of duty and public trust."
The soldiers were to be paid an undisclosed amount of money for transporting three undocumented migrants — one from Mexico and two from Guatemala — from Presidio to Odessa on a route bypassing the Marfa Border Patrol checkpoint, according to federal criminal complaint documents. Presidio is on the border with Ojinaga, Chihuahua.
On the evening of Nov. 27, a Border Patrol agent saw a black GMC SUV at a smuggling hot spot on a road within 100 feet of the Rio Grande between Lajitas and Presidio, the complaint stated.
When the Border Patrol agent attempted to pull it over, the SUV fled, sparking a high-speed chase were an agent was injured when the SUV hit a marked Border Patrol vehicle, authorities said.
Presidio County sheriff's deputies and Presidio police stopped the SUV in Presidio as people ran from the vehicle. Mendoza Lopez and the three undocumented migrants were arrested. Palma fled but HSI agents found him the next day in a hotel in Odessa, the complaint stated.
A search warrant by HSI retrieved cellphone WhatsApp audio and text messages between the soldiers with Jauregui instructing them to be on "full criminal mode ... full I'm a thug mode," the complaint stated.
The case was investigated by HSI, Border Patrol, and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigations Division.
"These three turned their backs on their values in a way that put our nation at risk, and put at risk the lives of others, including the lives of law enforcement officers," U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons for the Western District of Texas said in a statement.
"Everyone in this district, regardless of whether you wear the uniform or not, should take note: if you seek to enrich yourself by moving illegal aliens into or through this country, you will face the consequences of federal prosecution and will likely find yourself in federal prison," Simmons said.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com and @BorundaDaniel on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: US Army soldiers get prison in West Texas migrant smuggling case
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