Maryland Man Arrested After Border Agents Uncover 13 Migrants Concealed in Flatbed Near Deming

ALBUQUERQUE – A Maryland man is facing federal charges after Border Patrol agents discovered 13 undocumented individuals concealed in a tractor-trailer during a late-night stop near Deming.

According to court documents, on June 25, 2025, Border Patrol Agents conducting surveillance on Interstate 10 near Deming, New Mexico, observed a suspicious tractor trailer hauling an empty flatbed—a known tactic used by Transnational Criminal Organizations to smuggle contraband and illegal aliens into the United States. The agents followed the vehicle as it took an irregular route commonly used to bypass a Border Patrol checkpoint.

Upon stopping the vehicle on New Mexico State Road 26, agents discovered 13 individuals hidden in compartments of the trailer and cab, all lacking legal immigration documents and admitting to illegal entry into the U.S.

The driver, Jarol Wilberto Arroyo-Cerin, 40, a U.S. citizen, was arrested and admitted to repeatedly transporting illegal aliens for financial compensation, instructing them to hide under the flatbed. The smuggled individuals included nationals from Guatemala, Ecuador, and Mexico, including an unaccompanied juvenile.

Arroyo-Cerin is charged with conspiracy to illegally bring, transport, hide, or encourage unauthorized immigrants to enter or stay in the United States. He will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Arroyo-Cerin faces 10 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar of the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector made the announcement today.

The U.S. Border Patrol investigated this case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Tonkin is prosecuting the case as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.