ICE HSI El Paso investigation results in Mexican national sentenced for his role in noncitizen’s death
EL PASO, Texas – A Mexican national was sentenced to 72 months in prison Monday for his role in a human smuggling organization, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
The U.S. Border Patrol and the Hudspeth County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the case.
According to court documents, Israel Ulloa-Osorio, 27, was an active member and key foot guide for a complex human smuggling organization that guides groups of undocumented noncitizens for several days through the West Texas desert to pick-up locations on I-10.
According to witnesses, on May 15, 2020, Ulloa was illegally guiding a group of migrants from Mexico through the rugged terrain when an individual struggled to keep up and eventually died in the desert. The deceased man was traveling with his son who turned himself in to Border Patrol agents.
On June 2, 2021, Ulloa pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring in noncitizens into the United States resulting in death, in violation of Title 8, U.S. Code, Section 1324.
“This sentence underscores Homeland Security Investigations’ relentless efforts to identify transnational criminal organizations, which make a profit from smuggling noncitizens into the United States with total disregard for people who may end up paying the ultimate price,” said Frank B. Burrola, special agent in charge of HSI El Paso. “HSI is committed to ensuring that those who prey on the innocent face justice.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Spencer D. Kiggins prosecuted the case.
HSI is a directorate of ICE and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.
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