Joint Task Force (JTF)

Major Enforcement Operation in Guatemala Secures Arrest of Human Smuggler Indicted by JTFA

Extensive coordination and collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department and domestic and international partners resulted in a major enforcement operation that dismantled a human smuggling network based in Guatemala. In June 2022, this network smuggled people into the United States on a journey that ended with the deaths of 53 migrants in a tractor-trailer in San Antonio, Texas. Twenty-one of the deceased migrants were Guatemalan.

HSI Douglas, Multiagency Case Sends Human Smuggling Guide to 10 Years in Prison

DOUGLAS, Ariz. – A Mexican national was sentenced July 2 to 10 years in prison for multiple charges related to human smuggling activity.

Alleged Transnational Human Smuggler Indicted and Sanctioned in the United States and Arrested in Mexico

An indictment was unsealed containing criminal charges against the alleged leader of a human smuggling organization responsible for unlawfully bringing thousands of migrants into the United States. Along with the organization, the defendant, who was arrested in Mexico at the request of the United States, has also been designated for financial sanctions by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Readout of Joint Task Force Alpha’s Third Anniversary Meeting

Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Kristie Canegallo and Attorney General Merrick B. Garland marked the third anniversary of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the highly successful national effort to investigate and prosecute human smuggling at the southern border, by convening senior leaders of the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and State to discuss their shared, ongoing work.

Justice Department Expands Efforts to Dismantle Human Smuggling Operations and Support Immigration Prosecutions

Ahead of the third anniversary of the establishment of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Justice Department announced additional efforts to dismantle human smuggling operations and increase accountability for those who violate our immigration laws.

Honduras-based Human Smuggler Sentenced to 10 Years Following HSI Sells Investigation

SELLS, Ariz. — A Honduran woman was sentenced May 28 to 120 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for human smuggling.

Honduras-Based Leader of Migrant Smuggling Organization Sentenced

The leader of a migrant smuggling organization was sentenced to 10 years in prison for her role in smuggling over 100 migrants from Honduras to the United States for profit.

JTFA-Coordinated Investigation Found Two Foreign Nationals Sentenced for Human Smuggling Conspiracy

Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), created by Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas and Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, coordinated an investigation that saw two Guatemalan nationals sentenced in the Western District of Texas for their role in a prolific human smuggling conspiracy that resulted in the death of a migrant. 

DHS and DOJ Announce Historic Guatemalan Human Smuggling Extraditions at Joint Task Force Alpha Summit

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security joined the U.S. Department of Justice yesterday to announce the first ever extraditions from Guatemala to the United States on charges of human smuggling resulting in death, and the first Guatemalan human smuggling extraditions to the United States of any kind in nearly five years.

DHS and DOJ Announce Significant Enforcement Operation, Disrupting and Dismantling a Prolific Human Smuggling Operation

DHS and DOJ Announce Significant Enforcement Operation, Disrupting and Dismantling a Prolific Human Smuggling Operation

On Tuesday, September 13, the Department of Homeland Security joined the U.S. Department of Justice to announce a significant enforcement operation that disrupted and dismantled a prolific human smuggling operation in Texas and across the Southern United States.