Ignacio Salcido Jr, Minor Trafficking, New Mexico 2024

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Ignacio Salcido Jr., 38, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, has admitted to a monstrous crime: trafficking a minor across state lines for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Salcido pled guilty last week in federal court to the charge, bringing a grim chapter closer to a close, though the scars on the victim will undoubtedly remain.

The Department of Justice confirmed Salcido’s arrest by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) on August 26, 2016, stemming from incidents occurring on August 22 and 23, 2016. The complaint detailed Salcido’s deliberate transportation of a child under 18 across state lines – from Phoenix, Arizona, through Juarez, Mexico, and back into Las Cruces, New Mexico – with the explicit intent of committing sexual acts. A subsequent indictment on the same charge followed on November 9, 2016.

Court documents paint a harrowing picture of Salcido’s predatory behavior. He allegedly picked up the victim on the side of the road in Phoenix while traveling with two other individuals. These witnesses would later become crucial in the investigation, reporting that they observed Salcido repeatedly attempting to sexually abuse the victim while the child slept in the vehicle. The abuse continued during a stop in Juarez, Mexico, when the witnesses were not present. Upon returning to the United States, Salcido brought the victim to his Las Cruces residence, where the alleged sexual assault was completed.

The investigation was triggered on August 23, 2016, when one of the witnesses bravely reported the assault to school officials in Las Cruces. This act of courage initiated a swift response from law enforcement, leading to Salcido’s arrest and eventual guilty plea on April 12, 2017. Salcido admitted to transporting the minor with the intent to engage in sexual intercourse. The plea agreement recommends a sentence of 120 to 135 months imprisonment, followed by a period of supervised release determined by the court.

Beyond imprisonment, Salcido will be required to pay $210,012 in restitution to any victim who requests it prior to sentencing and will be mandated to register as a sex offender. This case was a collaborative effort between the Las Cruces office of HSI, the Las Cruces Police Department, and the 3rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander B. Shapiro and Aaron O. Jordan are prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The program marshals resources at all levels of government to identify, apprehend, and prosecute predators like Salcido, and to rescue victims. More information on Project Safe Childhood can be found at http://www.justice.gov/psc/. Salcido remains in custody awaiting a sentencing hearing, the date of which has not yet been scheduled. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case.