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Justice Department

Feds disrupt 'prolific' human smuggling operation that moved hundreds across the southern border

Criminal smuggling rings have become "intertwined" with the cartels, DHS official says.

By Brianna Herlihy Fox News
Published | Updated
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White House press secretary defends Biden administration's handling of the border Video

White House press secretary defends Biden administration's handling of the border

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed during a briefing on Tuesday that the Biden administration has taken "unprecedented action" at the border. 

The Departments of Justice and Homeland Security on Tuesday announced the arrest and indictment of eight people connected to an operation that illegally moved hundreds of people illegally across the southern U.S. border.

The operation led by Joint Task Force Alpha produced the arrest of Erminia Serrano Piedra, also known as "Boss Lady," and seven others who are thought to be contributing to the wave of illegal immigration into the U.S.

The announcement came just a day after Vice President Kamala Harris said the southern border is "secure."

TEXAS BORDER OFFICIALS SEIZE MORE THAN 266 POUNDS OF METH AT US-MEXICO BRIDGE

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    Migrants who are believed to have crossed the border from Mexico into the United States after leaving their homes in Mexico, Guatemala or Colombia are seen after the truck they were being transported in was interdicted by law enforcement officers in Texas, in this undated police photo submitted into evidence in U.S. District Court as part of a series of indictments of alleged human smugglers in Laredo, Texas, Sept. 13, 2022.  (U.S. Justice Department/Handout)

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    Wooden crates that were used to transport migrants who are believed to have crossed the border from Mexico into the United States after leaving their homes in Mexico, Guatemala or Colombia are seen after the flatbed truck carrying the boxes was interdicted by law enforcement officers in Texas, in this undated police photo submitted into evidence in U.S. District Court as part of a series of indictments of alleged human smugglers in Laredo, Texas, Sept. 13, 2022.  (U.S. Justice Department/Handout)

In a Tuesday press conference, officials said the eight who are facing charges conspired to illegally transport and shield hundreds of migrants in "dehumanizing" conditions where the threat of serious harm and death was "ever-present," for a profit of nearly $2.3 million.

TEXAS BORDER OFFICIALS SEIZE MORE THAN 266 POUNDS OF METH AT US-MEXICO BRIDGE

"This human smuggling organization operated on an enormous scale, placing a high value on financial profit, while putting migrants’ lives at great risk," said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in a statement. 

  • human smugglers indicted by the department of justice
    Image 1 of 2

    Migrants who are believed to have crossed the border from Mexico into the United States after leaving their homes in Mexico, Guatemala or Colombia are seen after the pickup truck they were hiding in the bed of was interdicted by law enforcement officers in Texas, in this undated Laredo police photo submitted into evidence in U.S. District Court as part of a series of indictments of alleged human smugglers in Laredo, Texas, Sept. 13, 2022.  (U.S. Justice Department/Handout)

  • human smugglers indicted by the department of justice
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    The interior of a water tanker truck that was used to transport migrants who are believed to have crossed the border from Mexico into the United States after leaving their homes in Mexico, Guatemala or Colombia is seen after being interdicted by law enforcement officers in Texas, in this undated police photo submitted into evidence in U.S. District Court as part of a series of indictments of alleged human smugglers in Laredo, Texas, Sept. 13, 2022.  (U.S. Justice Department/Handout)

Officials said these transitional criminal organizations are a "giant, multibillion-dollar piece of a sprawling puzzle connecting drug trafficking and criminal activity" along southern border and have become "intertwined" with the cartels.

According to the indictment, the smugglers used drivers to pick up migrants near the U.S.-Mexico border and transport them into the United States. Drivers allegedly transported migrants in suitcases, repurposed water tankers and wooded crates strapped to flatbed trailers.

VIDEO CAPTURES MIGRANTS IN CAMO SCALING ARIZONA WALL AFTER HARRIS SAYS BORDER SECURE

  • human smugglers indicted by the department of justice
    Image 1 of 2

    Migrants who are believed to have crossed the border from Mexico into the United States after leaving their homes in Mexico, Guatemala or Colombia are seen inside wooden boxes after the flatbed truck carrying the boxes was interdicted by law enforcement officers in Texas, in this undated police photo submitted into evidence in U.S. District Court as part of a series of indictments of alleged human smugglers in Laredo, Texas, Sept. 13, 2022.  (U.S. Justice Department/Handout)

  • human smugglers indicted by the department of justice
    Image 2 of 2

    A water tanker truck that was used to transport migrants who are believed to have crossed the border from Mexico into the United States after leaving their homes in Mexico, Guatemala or Colombia is seen after being interdicted by law enforcement officers in Texas, in this undated police photo submitted into evidence in U.S. District Court as part of a series of indictments of alleged human smugglers in Laredo, Texas, Sept. 13, 2022.  (U.S. Justice Department/Handout)

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Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security John K. Tien claimed countering human smuggling is "a central plank" of DHS’s efforts "to address irregular migration across the western hemisphere." Tien claimed that since April 2022, DHS has worked with the task force to "bolster" their efforts to fight criminal smugglers "at every point in their infrastructure."

Since Joint Task Force Alpha was launched in June 2021, there have been over 100 arrests of "leaders, organizers and significant facilitators of human smuggling activities, several dozen convictions, significant prison sentences and substantial asset forfeiture," according to the Department of Justice.

Brianna Herlihy is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

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