Woman sentenced to 10 years after deadly I-10 smuggling attempt near Las Cruces

Federal prosecutors say one migrant was killed after Georgina Ramirez fled checkpoint west of the city

Organ Mountain News report

LAS CRUCES - A woman has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for her role in a fatal smuggling attempt that began just west of Las Cruces in 2023, federal prosecutors announced Friday.

Georgina Ramirez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport undocumented immigrants and high-speed flight from a checkpoint. According to court records, she was transporting four people from El Paso to Deming when she fled from a Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 10 in Doña Ana County. Ramirez reportedly told the group to run after stopping her vehicle in the median. One of the individuals was struck and killed by a passing semi-truck.

The sentencing was among the most serious outcomes reported in last week’s immigration enforcement summary from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico.

In total, federal prosecutors brought criminal charges against 190 individuals in the one-week period ending June 13. Those included:

• 78 charges of illegal reentry after deportation
• 10 charges of alien smuggling
• 36 charges of illegal entry
• 66 individuals charged with a combination of illegal entry and trespassing on the recently designated National Defense Area in southern New Mexico

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said many of those charged had prior convictions for burglary, DUI, human smuggling and other offenses.

Prosecutors also highlighted the arrest of Ulysses Uriel Chanez, who allegedly fled a Border Patrol checkpoint in Otero County at speeds exceeding 100 mph in April. Though agents called off the pursuit for safety reasons, Chanez was arrested last week and now faces federal charges of high-speed flight.

The report framed the cases as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide enforcement initiative that the Justice Department says targets cartels, transnational criminal organizations and violent crime.

The District of New Mexico includes 33 counties and more than 180 miles of international border. Prosecutors in Albuquerque and Las Cruces coordinate with federal and local agencies to pursue immigration-related and other federal offenses.