Ex-Border officer smuggled Mexican woman into US to work as her nanny, housekeeper: prosecutors

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A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer is accused of illegally bringing a Mexican woman across the border into the United States to work as a nanny and housekeeper at her home.  

Rhonda Walker, 40, of Laredo, Texas, pleaded guilty on Friday to "conspiracy to encourage or induce a foreign national to enter the United States," Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Jennifer B. Lowery announced in a statement. 

In exchange for her guilty plea, federal prosecutors agreed to dismiss additional charges of conspiring to transport an illegal alien and making false statements, the Associated Press reported.  

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Walker, who was working as CBP officer at the time, improperly used another officer’s computer login information on Jan. 2 to help a Mexican woman named Yadira Yesenia Treviño-San Miguel enter the U.S. through the Laredo Port of Entry, prosecutors said. 

Walker scanned Trevino’s immigration documents before entry, prosecutors noted. Even though Trevino had no legal status to reside or work in the U.S., Walker allegedly intended for the woman to illegally enter the country and work for her as a housekeeper and nanny.

Walker is also accused of lying to authorities when she falsely stated that Trevino was her biological aunt and denied processing her entry or employing her in her home.

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U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo will decide a sentence on Aug. 9. Walker could face up to 10 years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. She was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.