Two sisters, Naidelyn Yuliana Vielma Jimenez, and Bianca Jackeline Vielma Jimenez, have received a three-year federal prison sentence for attempting to smuggle a 7-year-old boy from Mexico into the United States, a case that sheds light on the ongoing human smuggling issues at the border. According to FOX 7 Austin, the women, aged 22 and 23, pleaded guilty last year and have also been sentenced to three years of supervised release following their incarceration.
The incident occurred at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge at Laredo, where the sisters arrived with the young boy and their 16-year-old sister; they presented false information claiming the boy was their 15-year-old brother, supporting their assertion with a video and a photograph depicting the boy with their family, prosecutors stated. However, their ruse did not convince authorities who questioned the authenticity of the documents, and the sisters later admitted their agreement to smuggle the boy into San Antonio for $3,000 U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña has imposed the sentencing which will be followed by three years of supervised release once they complete their term.
U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei highlighted the severity of the situation, stating, “Prior open border policies have inflicted an incalculable human toll, much of which has unfortunately fallen upon innocent children,” according to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office – Southern District of Texas. Ganjei emphasized the Justice Department’s commitment to dismantling the market for child trafficking and smuggling operations…