Two sisters, Naidelyn Yuliana Vielma Jimenez and Bianca Jackeline Vielma Jimenez, have been sentenced to three years in federal prison for attempting to smuggle a 7-year-old child from Mexico into the United States in a case that highlights the ongoing human smuggling difficulties at the border. According to FOX 7 Austin, the women, ages 22 and 23, pleaded guilty last year and were sentenced to three years of supervised release after being incarcerated.
The incident occurred at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge in Laredo, where the sisters arrived with the young boy and their 16-year-old sister; they presented false information, claiming the boy was their 15-year-old brother, and backed up their claim with a video and a photograph of the boy with their family, authorities said. However, their ploy failed to persuade authorities, who questioned the veracity of the documents, and the sisters later acknowledged their arrangement to smuggle the boy into San Antonio for $3,000 U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña ordered the sentence, which will be followed by three years of supervised release upon completion.
According to a statement released by the United States Attorney’s Office—Southern District of Texas, U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, “Prior open border policies have inflicted an incalculable human toll, much of which has unfortunately fallen upon innocent children.” Ganjei underscored the Justice Department’s determination to eliminate the market for child trafficking and smuggling operations.
While a date for the sisters to report to prison has not been scheduled, they have been allowed to stay on bond and will voluntarily submit to a prison once an assignment is determined—highlighting the legal procedures involving people smuggling charges. Customs and Border Protection investigated this case, and Assistant United States Attorney Jose Homero Ramirez prosecuted it, showcasing the concerted efforts to combat human trafficking and smuggling.
