ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A Virginia resident was arrested Sunday on federal charges of conspiracy to transport an illegal alien after authorities say he arranged and funded the smuggling of a 17-year-old unaccompanied minor from Honduras into the United States.
Luis Alonso Argueta-Diaz, 35, was taken into custody in Virginia without incident following a multi-agency investigation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and its federal and state partners.
Court records indicate the case began on May 3, when U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended a 17-year-old girl near Santa Teresa, New Mexico. The minor, who had unlawfully entered the country alone, was later determined to have been smuggled with the financial support of Argueta-Diaz.
According to ICE Homeland Security Investigations, Argueta-Diaz admitted during questioning to coordinating and paying for the teen’s journey from Honduras. He told investigators he intended for the girl to live with him and help care for his children.
Argueta-Diaz is being held in local custody while awaiting trial. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico is handling the prosecution. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
Child smuggling raises safety concerns
Authorities emphasized the broader dangers of such smuggling activity, which they say often involves transnational criminal networks and places minors at significant risk.
“This criminality – carried out by individuals, businesses, and transnational criminal organizations – is not only a threat to the unaccompanied alien children themselves, but also to the broader communities in which they live and to the public safety and national security of the United States,” ICE said in a public statement.
The investigation remains ongoing, and no trial date has been announced.
