An El Paso woman was sentenced to 10 years in prison for her role in detaining and extorting undocumented immigrants held at a stash house in New Mexico, where investigators found 10 victims — including three minors — being held in inhumane conditions while their families were coerced into paying ransom. The defendant committed these offenses while already serving federal supervised release for a prior smuggling conviction. She will also face an additional three years of supervised release upon her eventual release from prison.

Luis Alonso Argueta-Diaz, 35, was arrested for conspiracy to transport an illegal alien after arranging and partially funding the smuggling of a 17-year-old Honduran minor into the United States. The minor was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol near Santa Teresa, New Mexico on May 3, and court documents indicate Argueta-Diaz had arranged and partially paid for the smuggling. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.

Border Patrol agents arrested a Cuban national at a New Mexico interior checkpoint on April 29, 2025, after discovering an extensive criminal background that included charges of murder, negligent homicide, and shooting from a motor vehicle. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks stated that interior checkpoints play a critical role in "keeping our community safe from violent criminals."

A grand jury in Las Cruces, New Mexico, returned an indictment on February 19 against 14 individuals for conspiracy to transport, harbor, and bring undocumented migrants from Central and South America across the southern U.S. border; eight defendants were arrested on February 20 and 21. The indictment alleges the organization smuggled hundreds of illegal aliens, including unaccompanied children, while evading law enforcement at high speed and coaching aliens to flee Border Patrol. During one smuggling event, one person died from heat exposure and was abandoned in the desert.

During a week-long enforcement operation ending March 8 in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Roswell, ICE arrested 48 individuals who either had final removal orders or faced serious criminal charges. Of those apprehended, 20 had prior arrests or convictions for crimes including homicide, sexual assault, drug trafficking, and driving under the influence, while 21 had final orders of removal.