Illegal aliens plead guilty to having fake Green Cards

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – Two illegal aliens pleaded guilty to having federal immigration documents that were forgeries with information assigned to other people.

According to court documents, Santos Ramirez-Ramirez, 38, of Guatemala pleaded guilty to one count of fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents. 

Yolanda Mendoza-Emiliano, 32, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to one count of fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents.

On May 28, 2026, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) executed a federal criminal search warrant at a house on South 16th Street in Kansas City, Kansas.  Although agents repeatedly gave lawful orders in Spanish for the occupants to come out of the house, no one exited until agents went in through the back door. 

Agents arrested Ramirez-Ramirez and Mendoza-Emiliano after finding counterfeit Lawful Permanent Resident cards, also known as Green Cards, and falsified Social Security cards. 

Photos Source: Homeland Security Investigations

They had Green Cards with their names and photos, but with alien file numbers that belong to other people. The falsified Social Security cards had numbers that are invalid. 

“Falsified federal documents often include information that belongs to an actual person,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “Victims can have their lives turned upside down with the IRS, creditors, and other entities seeking money they don’t actually owe but are asked to pay because criminals are securing jobs, renting homes, and opening lines of credit using their information.” 

“Counterfeit immigration documents are not harmless pieces of paper. They are tools used to undermine the integrity of our immigration system, conceal identities, and enable individuals to remain in the United States unlawfully,” said Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Rick Sabatini. “HSI will aggressively investigate document fraud and work relentlessly with our federal partners to hold offenders accountable.”

Records show in April 2024, U.S. Border Patrol agents in Arizona arrested Mendoza-Emiliano four separate times in a 10-day period for illegally entering the country. The first time she was detained, she was fingerprinted. In that instance, and each subsequent time she was allowed to voluntarily return to Mexico. 

A third defendant was indicted in connection with this case for allegedly having false documentation, and those charges are still pending.

Agents arrested three other defendants at the house who were indicted for unlawful reentry after deportation. Returning to the U.S. without permission after deportation is a federal criminal offense. 

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is investigating the cases.

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