Felix Ordonez Salazar/Nicaragua/Conspiracy to Transport Aliens, Placing Lives in Jeopardy

ICE New Orleans arrested Felix Ordonez Salazar, a citizen of Nicaragua who is unlawfully present in the United States. According to adjudicated records, Ordonez Salazar has a conviction for conspiracy to transport aliens with the aggravating factor of placing lives in jeopardy. The offense involves working with others to move noncitizens in violation of immigration law while using methods or conditions that create a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury.

In prosecutions of this kind, investigators commonly document overcrowded vehicles, locked cargo areas, heat exposure, or dangerous routing designed to evade detection. Evidence often includes phone and messaging records coordinating pickups and drop offs, payment ledgers, GPS data, and statements from the transported individuals describing the conditions they endured. The “placing lives in jeopardy” enhancement is applied when the facts show that the manner of transport significantly increased the risk to those being moved, such as lack of ventilation, denial of water, or concealment in compartments that cannot be opened from the inside.

Following completion of the criminal case, immigration authorities assumed custody. Ordonez Salazar was processed into detention for removal proceedings before an immigration judge. Standard steps include identity verification through biometrics, collection of certified judgment and sentencing documents, and coordination of travel authorization with the receiving government. He will remain detained while the administrative case advances and while travel documentation is finalized, should a final order of removal be issued. The immigration matter proceeds on a separate track from the concluded criminal proceedings, with the conviction serving as the basis for removability under federal law.