Local felon sentenced for transporting illegal aliens after high-speed chase

LAREDO, Texas – A 23-year-old Laredo man has been sentenced to federal prison for transporting illegal aliens, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Braulio Ivan Rueda pleaded guilty Feb. 27.

U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña has now ordered Rueda to serve a total of 21 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.

On Nov. 25, 2024, several people ran from the Rio Grande River into an SUV with fictitious plates. Rueda was driving. When authorities tried to block the vehicle, four Guatemalan nationals fled towards the river.

Rueda sped away and led authorities on a three-mile chase before stopping in a commercial parking lot and attempting to escape on foot.

Authorities soon took him into custody and located the four illegal aliens.

He admitted he needed money and agreed to smuggle the aliens for “easy money.” One had said he arranged in Guatemala to be smuggled into the United States and picked up near Laredo.

Rueda will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance from Border Patrol, Laredo Police Department, Webb County Sheriff’s Office and Webb County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Homero Ramirez is prosecuting the case.

This case is 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 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 and Project Safe Neighborhood.