Texas woman found guilty for attempting to smuggle 3-year-old into Laredo

LAREDO, Texas - A Texas woman has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for attempting to smuggle a three-year-old boy into the U.S.

Salma Galilea Veliz, 25, was found guilty of conspiracy to transport, attempting to transport and bringing in and attempting to bring a minor undocumented migrant into the country.

Woman smuggler charged in Texas

The backstory:

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, law enforcement saw Veliz at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge in Laredo, Texas on Nov. 14, 2024.

She had a 3-year-old with her and initially said the boy was her son as she showed a Texas birth certificate. However, Veliz later admitted the boy was not her son and that she had picked him up in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.

SUGGESTED: Houston man mistakenly detained by ICE due to name confusion

Veliz told authorities she did not know the boy's name or where she was taking him. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, a person known as "Malandro" had brought him to her. Veliz said she would have the boy take on her biological son’s identity to smuggle him into the country in exchange for $2,500.

It was later revealed the child was born in Mexico, but the defense tried to convince the jury the 3-year-old had claims of citizenship due to his unidentified father.

RELATED: DOJ releases new list of 'sanctuary jurisdictions' as part of immigration crackdown

After serving two years in prison, Veliz will have two years of supervised release.

What they're saying:

"We may never know who or what awaited that three-year-old boy had he been successfully smuggled across the border. What is certain, however, is that no child’s safety or well-being has a price tag. The Southern District of Texas will not hesitate to prosecute those who illegally bring children into the United States by falsely claiming family ties," said Ganjei. "Also, a word of warning - if you put a child, even if it’s your own, into the hands of smugglers, you will be prosecuted. Return home to them; don’t endanger your children by placing their lives in the hands of people you don’t know."