During the nine-day operation, which stemmed from intelligence gathered throughout December, ICE apprehended 38 illegal aliens at three construction sites in El Paso, Texas, and Santa Teresa, New Mexico.
The North Texas Trafficking Task Force, led by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations Dallas, helped secure a 50-year sentence Jan. 30 for Jamal Howard, a 59-year-old sex trafficker, narcotics dealer and money launderer in the Northern District of Texas.
Walter Wilkins, 24, of Weslaco, was sentenced to 23 years in prison for coercion and enticement of a minor Jan. 23 following an investigation conducted by ICE Homeland Security Investigations Rio Grande Valley’s Child Exploitation Task Force. Wilkins pleaded guilty to producing child sexual abuse material involving a child under 16.
Erica Aracely Carmona, 36, was sentenced by a federal judge to 11 years in prison and ordered to pay $955,350 for conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death. She was arrested Aug. 23, 2022, and pleaded guilty Dec. 19, 2022.
The Homeland Security Task Force in Jacksonville announced a multijurisdictional enforcement operation targeting a Chinese transnational criminal organization for marriage fraud. The organization recruited U.S. service members to participate in fraudulent marriages and enabled Chinese nationals to obtain immigration benefits and access cards for U.S. military installations.