Mexican Smuggler Pleads Guilty in $30M Immigration Network
A Mexican man extradited from Mexico has pleaded guilty to helping run a smuggling network that moved up to 3,000 people across the US-Mexico border — charging each migrant up to $12,000 for the crossing. The operation spanned countries from Afghanistan to Ecuador and generated as much as $30 million. For the migrants caught in the middle, the legal consequences are still unfolding.
A Global Smuggling Network Brought Thousands Across the Border
Efrain Zuniga-Garcia, 38, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to his role in a large international human smuggling organization (ASO — a group that illegally moves people across borders for money). The network operated from at least November 2020 through September 2023. It smuggled thousands of people from countries including Afghanistan, Yemen, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, and Ecuador into the United States across the border with Mexico.
The operation had a complex structure. A Pakistani smuggler based in Brazil recruited migrants and charged them between $6,500 and $12,000 per person. That smuggler then worked with a San Antonio, Texas-based contact and a Honduran national named Enil Edil Mejia-Zuniga, who directed day-to-day operations. Mejia-Zuniga paid armed foot guides (known as "coyotes"), drivers, and stash house operators — including Zuniga-Garcia. The organization ran stash houses in Monterrey and Piedras Negras, Mexico, where migrants were held before being guided across the Rio Grande River into the US. In total, the network earned an estimated $16 to $30 million.
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Zuniga-Garcia specifically ran the stash house in Monterrey. He coordinated the movement of migrants to the house and then handed them off to coyotes for the final crossing. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring aliens to the United States, bringing an alien to the United States for financial gain, and aiding and abetting. He faces a mandatory minimum of three years in prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Two co-defendants have already been sentenced: Mejia-Zuniga received 10 years in prison in July 2025, and Monica Hernandez-Palma, 34, of Mexico, was sentenced to 41 months in prison in May 2026.
What This Means for Migrants and Asylum Seekers
People who paid smugglers to enter the US may worry about their own legal situation. Entering the US without authorization — even through a smuggling network — does not automatically bar someone from applying for protection. Migrants who fear returning to their home country may still be eligible to apply for asylum (a form of legal protection for people fleeing persecution). However, how you entered the US and your immigration history can affect your case. If you are already in removal proceedings (the legal process where a judge decides if you can stay in the US), you have the right to appear before an immigration judge and present your case.
What to Do
- If you used a smuggler to enter the US, do not assume you have no options. Talk to an immigration lawyer before making any decisions about your status.
- If you are in removal proceedings, attend every immigration court hearing. Missing a hearing can result in an automatic removal order against you.
- If you fear returning to your home country, ask an attorney about the asylum application process. Filing Form I-589 (the application for asylum) costs $0 as of 2026.
- If ICE contacts you or comes to your home, you have the right to remain silent and the right to speak with a lawyer. Do not sign any documents without legal advice.
Fishkin Law Firm, New York
Migrants who entered through smuggling organizations are not automatically disqualified from asylum or other forms of relief — but how you entered and your full immigration history will be scrutinized. If you are in removal proceedings, you have the right to present a defense before an immigration judge, and that window is critical. Consult an immigration attorney as early as possible to understand your specific options before your next court date.