An anonymous tip led to the discovery of a suspected stash house in Mercedes, Texas, resulting in the arrest of 16 illegal immigrants.
According to a news release, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the 16 individuals are nationals of Nepal, Albania, Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala.
They were taken into custody for immigration violations on June 2. A Mexican national is being questioned for his role in human smuggling.
After receiving the anonymous tip on June 1, ICE Rio Grande Valley contacted the Mercedes Police Department, which conducted a welfare check at the home. According to the ICE news release, the property owner admitted to harboring 16 individuals inside the home.
A photo released by ICE shows a group of men and women inside the home.
“This operation underscores the critical role that the public and local law enforcement partners play in identifying and disrupting human smuggling operations,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Rio Grande Valley Deputy Special Agent in Charge Mark Lippa, per the release. “Transnational criminal networks continue to endanger lives for profit. ICE will relentlessly pursue those who exploit vulnerable individuals for financial gain.”
Mercedes is located in Hidalgo County in southern Texas, specifically within the Rio Grande Valley near the U.S.-Mexico border. It’s about 60 miles west of South Padre Island and the Gulf of America.
Local outlet KRGV-5 News played a video clip that showed an older, tan mobile home, and reported the location in the 80th block of Dogwood Street in Mercedes.
ICE continues to investigate the human smuggling operation and who is involved in the stash house. ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations assisted with the investigation.
In related news, ICE also announced an El Paso woman was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison for her role in a hostage-taking conspiracy involving the forcible detention and extortion of the victims related to another stash house raid.
Valerie Perez, 22, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit hostage taking, admitting that she participated in detaining illegal immigrants. She threatened them with harm and extorted money from their families and friends in exchange for their release, according to a news release from ICE.
Perez was involved in the hostage-taking conspiracy while serving a term of federal supervised release for a prior alien smuggling conviction.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case with the assistance from the Otero (New Mexico) County Sheriff’s Department.
“This case reveals a disturbing pattern of criminal organizations taking illegal aliens hostage, holding them for ransom, and terrorizing their families until payment is made, and HSI will continue to pursue those responsible,” said Jason T. Stevens, special agent in charge of HSI El Paso in the news release.
According to court documents, on April 4, 2024, agents from HSI and Border Patrol responded to a tip from the Otero County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies reported that people were being held against their will at an alien smuggling stash house in Chaparral, New Mexico, an unincorporated community just north of El Paso near the New Mexico-Texas state line.
Law enforcement went to the residence and found 10 illegal aliens, including three juveniles, were being forcibly kept under inhumane conditions, without sufficient food and water, the release states.
Upon investigating the incident, agents determined that Valerie Perez and her conspirator, Diana Perez, were responsible for detaining the individuals.
The victims said were threatened with physical harm and told they were not allowed to leave. Perez also contacted their family members and coerced them into sending money for the victims’ release.
At the time of her arrest, Perez was on supervised release following a prior conviction for conspiracy to transport illegal aliens. She had been sentenced to one year and one day in prison followed by two years of supervised release.
Upon her release from prison, Valerie Perez will be subject to three years of supervised release. Diana Perez remains in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled.
Members of the public are encouraged to report suspicious activity or tips related to human smuggling by calling 866-347-2423 or by submitting an anonymous tip via the ICE online tip form.
