Fort Worth woman sentenced for trying to smuggle 2 children across border from Mexico
A Fort Worth woman who tried to smuggle two children who are Mexican citizens into the United States from the border has been sentenced to three years in federal prison.
Sandra Perez, 36, pleaded guilty on Nov. 19, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney for the Texas Southern District Nicholas J. Ganjei.
On Aug. 8, Perez tried to enter the U.S. on the Justin Lincoln Bridge in Laredo while driving an SUV, according to court documents. She had her three U.S. citizen children and two Mexican children with her, federal authorities said.
Perez falsely claimed the two Mexican children were also hers and tried to use Texas birth certificates and Social Security cards that belonged to her children as proof, according to the release.
Officials said after the Mexican children failed to answer authorities’ questions, Perez admitted that she was trying to reunite them with their mother in Fort Worth, knowing that they did not have legal documents to enter the country.
Perez said that a coworker introduced her to the children’s mother, according to a court document.
Perez told investigators that she expected to receive $5,000 per child after delivery, according to the release.
Perez was allowed to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future, the release stated.
This story was originally published February 27, 2025 at 2:30 PM.