A Mexican man was found guilty of several human smuggling offenses in Arizona and sentenced to ten years in prison.

Jesus Ernesto Dessens-Romero, 28, of Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John Hinderaker, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office. A jury found him guilty on several counts, including conspiracy to transport illegal aliens for profit and smuggling illegal aliens into the United States for profit.

The jury also found that Dessens-Romero put lives at risk during his human trafficking offenses and played a crucial role in a criminal operation that illegally smuggled migrants from Mexico into the United States.

The Mexican smuggler helped illegal non-citizens enter the United States by arranging pickups and drops over WhatsApp. On February 13, 2021, he helped five Mexican citizens cross the border into the United States on foot.

Dessens-Romero led the group with limited supplies on a dangerous route through harsh weather conditions into the remote Huachuca Mountains near Fort Huachuca in southern Arizona, where fewer law enforcement officers patrolled the area.

The group included three sisters, aged 23, 20 and 17, and a 16-year-old family friend. Two days later, the 23-year-old sister was suffering from significant physical discomfort and was unable to eat or walk.

Dessens-Romero claimed they were near a busy road and could have left the sick woman there so she could be found. However, he did not call emergency services and instead contacted his accomplices at a transnational criminal smuggling organization.

Dessens-Romero then led the rest of the group to Sierra Vista, Arizona, where they were picked up by unidentified co-conspirators and transported to the United States

The family of the woman who remained behind contacted authorities on February 16, 2021 to report a missing person. Despite the search, police officers were unable to locate the missing woman.

Dessens-Romero contacted the surviving sisters on behalf of the smuggling organization and tried to convince them to delete a social media post about a missing person.

On November 20, 2021, the 23-year-old's remains were found in a remote area of ​​the Huachuca Mountains. Dental records confirmed that the remains belonged to the missing sister.

Dessens-Romero was arrested after being caught by the Highway Patrol while transporting two people in Tennessee on June 30, 2021.

“Human smugglers profit from the exploitation of migrants and routinely subject them to violence, injury, and death,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in the statement. “Today's ruling shows that the Department of Justice will continue to hold these smugglers and the criminal networks that abuse, exploit, or endanger migrants accountable.”

“Human smugglers only care about the money they can make, not the people whose lives they put at risk,” U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino said in the statement. “Unfortunately, a young woman's desire for a better life in the United States cost her her life because of Dessens-Romero's greed and recklessness. This case should serve as a warning to other smugglers and the transnational smuggling organizations they work for: My office and our law enforcement partners will be undaunted in their efforts to bring you to justice.”

The issue of illegal immigration is a hot topic for voters in the United States as they prepare for the presidential election in November.

Comment on the more general topics NewsweekHouse Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green said, “The American people are facing the devastating impact of President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas' efforts to roll back the Trump administration's effective border security measures and replace them with catch-and-release policies and mass paroles for illegal aliens.”

The Tennessee Republican said: “Homeland Republicans have crafted and passed legislation through the House to address this crisis. From increasing the number of Border Patrol agents and investing in critical technology to detect and stop contagion, to ending this reckless catch-and-release policy and attempting to renegotiate the Remain in Mexico agreement, the Secure the Border Act is the necessary step to stop this influx – and it's on Senator Schumer's desk.”

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