Laredo Woman Gets 36 Months for Child Smuggling Scheme

LAREDO, Texas – Salma Galilea Veliz, 25, of Laredo, has been sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for her role in a callous human smuggling operation. Veliz was found guilty on April 15th after a two-day trial, convicted of conspiracy to transport, attempting to transport, and bringing in and attempting to bring a minor alien to the United States. U.S. District Judge John A. Kazen also ordered two years of supervised release following her prison term.

The scheme unraveled November 14, 2024, at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge. Veliz attempted to enter the U.S. with a three-year-old boy, falsely claiming he was her son. She presented a fraudulent Texas birth certificate, but quickly confessed the child was not hers, admitting she’d picked him up in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Veliz’s plan was to pass the boy off as her biological son, smuggling him across the border for a payment of $2,500.

According to court testimony, Veliz claimed ignorance of the boy’s name or final destination, stating a contact known only as “Malandro” was responsible for delivering the child. Evidence presented at trial included the boy’s original Mexican birth certificate, proving his citizenship and lack of authorization to enter the United States. The defense argued the child might have a claim to U.S. citizenship through an unknown father, but the prosecution successfully demonstrated the claim was baseless.

U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei delivered a stark warning: “We may never know who or what awaited that three-year-old boy had he been successfully smuggled across the border. What is certain, however, is that no child’s safety or well-being has a price tag. The Southern District of Texas will not hesitate to prosecute those who illegally bring children into the United States by falsely claiming family ties.” Ganjei added a direct message to potential smugglers: “If you put a child, even if it’s your own, into the hands of smugglers, you will be prosecuted. Return home to them; don’t endanger your children by placing their lives in the hands of people you don’t know.”

Veliz was allowed to remain on bond pending surrender to a yet-to-be-determined Federal Bureau of Prisons facility. The investigation was a collaborative effort between Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Department of State, and the Department of Health and Humans Services – Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa A. Lopez and Tory Sailer led the prosecution.

This case underscores the grim reality of human smuggling along the southern border, where vulnerable children are treated as commodities. The Grimy Times will continue to report on these cases, exposing the individuals and networks profiting from the exploitation of others. The full extent of the “Malandro” smuggling operation remains under investigation.