EL PASO — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Texas, Western), published as received.
EL PASO – A U.S. citizen and an illegal alien from Venezuela were charged in a federal court in El Paso this week for their alleged involvement in a human smuggling operation, announced U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.
According to court documents, U.S. Border Patrol agents served a federal search warrant at an El Paso residence on April 20. Prior to serving the warrant, agents conducting surveillance followed two individuals who left the residence and detained them for additional investigation. One of the individuals, Edith Marie Dominguez, was found to be a U.S. citizen, while the other, Gregory Jose Daniel Martinez-Tovar, was an illegal alien from Venezuela. USBP agents, along with partner agencies, then returned to the residence on Bon Aire Drive to serve the warrant.
During the search of the residence, agents allegedly encountered deplorable living conditions, including scattered trash and covered windows, consistent with operations of a stash house. 10 adults and three juveniles were allegedly found in various rooms of the residence. All of the adults and one of the unaccompanied juveniles were confirmed to be illegally present.
Additionally, according to court documents and testimony during Monday’s detention hearing, agents located other evidence of smuggling during the search, including ledgers, cell phones, U.S. currency, and multiple firearms.
Dominguez and Martinez-Tovar, who had only been detained before the search, were then arrested and charged with one count of alien smuggling. A criminal complaint alleges that Dominguez had been involved in the smuggling operation for approximately one year. She also allegedly admitted to working with a smuggler to transport aliens within the El Paso area and to Albuquerque, New Mexico, assisting others to avoid detection while smuggling aliens through USBP checkpoints in New Mexico. Both Dominguez and Martinez-Tovar allegedly admitted to acting as caretakers of the stash house.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Van Pelt is prosecuting the case.
This case is being investigated and prosecuted by the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America. HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal 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.
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