Would-be smuggler of three-year-old child sentenced to 36 months in federal prison

LAREDO, Texas - A 25-year-old Laredo woman has been sentenced for conspiracy to transport, attempting to transport and bringing in and attempting to bring a minor alien to the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

The jury deliberated for approximately 45 minutes before finding Salma Galilea Veliz guilty April 15 after a two-day trial.

U.S. District Judge John A. Kazen has now ordered Veliz to serve 36 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release.

“We may never know who or what awaited that three-year-old boy had he been successfully smuggled across the border. What is certain, however, is that no child’s safety or well-being has a price tag. The Southern District of Texas will not hesitate to prosecute those who illegally bring children into the United States by falsely claiming family ties,” said Ganjei. “Also, a word of warning - if you put a child, even if it’s your own, into the hands of smugglers, you will be prosecuted. Return home to them; don’t endanger your children by placing their lives in the hands of people you don’t know.”

Law enforcement first encountered Veliz at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge in Laredo Nov. 14, 2024, with a three-year-old male. She presented a Texas birth certificate and claimed the minor was her son, later admitting he was not and that she had picked him up in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.

Veliz claimed she did not know the boy’s name or where she was taking him, just that a person known as “Malandro” was bringing him to her. Veliz planned to have the boy assume her biological son’s identity to smuggle him into the United States in exchange for $2,500.

During trial, the jury heard testimony and evidence regarding his true identity, which included the minor child’s original birth certificate indicating Mexico as his place of birth. Testimony also revealed there was no record in existence pertaining to the minor child that would indicate he had ever been authorized to enter the United States.

The defense attempted to convince the jury the boy had claims to citizenship through an unidentified father. However, evidence revealed the minor is a Mexican citizen and had no claim to enter the county. The jury ultimately found Veliz guilty as charged.

She was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation with the assistance of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of State and Department of Health and Humans Services - Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa A. Lopez and Tory Sailer prosecuted the case.