Texas Border Business
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas
LAREDO, Texas – A 37-year-old San Antonio resident has been ordered to federal prison for transporting 10 illegal aliens.
Jonathan Ray Balderas pleaded guilty Feb. 6.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo has now ordered Balderas to serve 41 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court considered images showing the substantial risk of death or bodily injury Balderas created by transporting eight of the 10 aliens in the open bed of his truck, covered only by a thin tarp. The court also considered the loaded pistol found on Balderas’s waistband and communications indicating his involvement in other smuggling events.
“Human smuggling is a serious federal crime that endangers lives and threatens the security of our communities,” said Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Craig S. Larrabee. “HSI in close coordination with our partners at U.S. Border Patrol, is committed to dismantling smuggling networks and holding individuals accountable for their actions. The arrest of Jonathan Balderas and the recovery of 10 smuggled aliens underscores the importance of our continued efforts to combat this dangerous criminal activity and bring offenders to justice.”
On Nov. 18, 2024, law enforcement observed Balderas’s truck attempting to circumvent the U.S. Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint at the 29-mile marker of Interstate Highway 35. Authorities noticed the outline of people inside the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop. As they approached, they observed shoes protruding out from under the tarp.
Authorities discovered eight illegal aliens in the truck’s open bed and two more hiding inside. The aliens were citizens of Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.
Balderas will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
ICE-HSI and BP conducted the investigation with the assistance of Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas Game Wardens. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tae W. Chon prosecuted the case.
Updated July 31, 2025
