Salma Galilea Veliz, Smuggling a Minor, Texas 2024

A would-be smuggler of a three-year-old child has been sentenced to 36 months in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

LAREDO, Texas - Salma Galilea Veliz, 25, of Laredo, was found guilty of conspiracy to transport, attempting to transport and bringing in and attempting to bring a minor alien to the United States.

The jury deliberated for approximately 45 minutes before finding Veliz guilty on April 15 after a two-day trial.

U.S. District Judge John A. Kazen has now ordered Veliz to serve 36 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release.

The Southern District of Texas will not hesitate to prosecute those who illegally bring children into the United States by falsely claiming family ties, said Ganjei.

Law enforcement first encountered Veliz at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge in Laredo on November 14, 2024, with a three-year-old male. She presented a Texas birth certificate and claimed the minor was her son, later admitting he was not and that she had picked him up in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.

Veliz planned to have the boy assume her biological son's identity to smuggle him into the United States in exchange for $2,500.

The defense attempted to convince the jury the boy had claims to citizenship through an unidentified father. However, evidence revealed the minor is a Mexican citizen and had no claim to enter the country.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation with the assistance of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of State, and Department of Health and Humans Services - Office of Inspector General.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa A. Lopez and Tory Sailer prosecuted the case.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/would-be-smuggler-three-year-old-child-sentenced-36-months-federal-prison