EL PASO, Texas (AP) — On Thursday, a Peruvian woman who had crossed the U.S. border without authorization was found not guilty of unauthorized entry into a newly designated militarized zone. This is the first case of its kind under the Trump administration’s initiative to prosecute immigrants who enter specified areas in New Mexico and western Texas.
Adely Vanessa De La Cruz-Alvarez, 21, was apprehended last month near Tornillo, West Texas, after crossing into the U.S. from Mexico by traversing the Rio Grande riverbed, according to court records.
Besides the charge of illegal entry into the country, she faced charges for entering a military zone. This charge is part of a broader campaign by President Donald Trump’s administration, following the transfer of land along the border to military control. This effort is a new strategy by the Department of Justice to intensify actions against illegal immigration.
The Associated Press left messages Thursday with De La Cruz-Alvarez’s attorney, Veronica Teresa Lerma. The lawyer told The Texas Tribune the acquittal is significant.
“Hopefully, this sets the tone for the federal government,” Lerma said, “so they know what the El Paso community will do with these charges.”
Even before the woman’s case went to trial, federal magistrate judges in neighboring New Mexico had dismissed similar cases, finding little evidence that immigrants knew about the zones.
Lerma was convicted of entering the country illegally and was already facing deportation, but could have faced up to 18 months in prison for entering the militarized zone.
Despite the verdict, U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons of the Western District of Texas said his office will continue to aggressively prosecute National Defense Area violations.
“At the end of the day, another illegal alien has been found guilty of illegally entering the country in violation of the improper entry statute and will be removed from the United States,” Simmons said in a statement. “That’s a win for America.”
The administration wants to sharply increase the removal of immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally as Trump seeks to make good on his pledge of mass deportations. The administration has deployed thousands of troops to the border, while arrests have plunged to the lowest levels since the mid-1960s.
