Texas bakery owners charged for knowingly harboring, employing illegal immigrants

The owners of a bakery in South Texas were arrested and charged with federal felonies for harboring and aiding illegal immigrants employed at their shop, according to a criminal complaint filed by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). On February 12, ICE HSI conducted a worksite enforcement operation at Abby's Bakery in Los Fresnos, apprehending eight illegal immigrants and taking the owners into custody.

Leonardo Baez and Nora Alicia Avila-Guel, the owners of Abby's Bakery who are lawful permanent US residents, have been charged with "bringing in and harboring aliens" and "aiding and abetting the harboring of aliens," according to ICE HSI. The pair remain in federal custody.

The criminal complaint states that Baez and Avila-Guel were aware that the eight employees taken into ICE custody were unlawfully present. At least two of the illegal migrants, both Mexican nationals, told investigators that their employers hired them despite being aware of their illegal status in the United States and also provided them and others with shelter.

A spokesperson for ICE said in a statement that all eight of the illegal migrants apprehended at Abby's Bakery "remain in ICE custody pending removal," per Newsweek.

"US Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted a worksite enforcement action at Abby's Bakery in response to information or allegations received by ICE Homeland Security Investigations. Any allegation received is taken seriously and may result in an investigation," the spokesperson said.
 

"ICE HSI is tasked with enforcing the business community's compliance with federal employment eligibility requirements and has the responsibility to conduct comprehensive worksite enforcement initiatives targeting employers who violate employment laws," the statement continued. "During these operations, any alien determined to be in violation of US Immigration laws may be subject to arrest, detention and, if ordered by an immigration judge or other authority, subject to removal from the United States."

Under 8 US Code 1324, knowingly employing illegal migrants is a felony crime. President Trump's border czar Tom Homan has repeatedly threatened to apply this law against anyone who harbors, conceals, hides, or aids and abets illegal aliens.

Los Fresnos is a border town in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, with a population of roughly 10,000 people. Mayor Flores, a Democrat, said the ICE raid was "very frustrating" and that her "prayers are with Mr. Leonardo Baez and his family during this difficult time."