McAllen woman jailed for child smuggling (KGBT-TX)

McAllen woman jailed for child smuggling

By Sergio Chapa
Tuesday, September 08, 2009 at 10:55 a.m.

A McAllen woman is behind bars after she allegedly tried to smuggle a 14-year-old girl into the United States over the Labor Day weekend.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers arrested Gloria Nelly Luna on an illegal immigrant smuggling charge.

A criminal complaint filed against Luna shows that she drove up to the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge with a 14-year-old girl on Saturday.

Luna allegedly told a customs officer that the girl was her daughter presenting a birth certificate issued by the City of McAllen.

Customs officers learned in secondary inspection that the 14-year-old girl was actually an illegal immigrant from Veracruz, Mexico.

Luna allegedly admitted to the smuggling act as a favor to the girl’s mother.

The 33-year-old woman met the girl’s uncle at a Reynosa hotel and was supposed to deliver the girl to her family in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Luna remains in custody where she is expected to appear before a federal judge in McAllen on Tuesday.

The 14-year-old girl was given to the custody of the Mexican Consulate in McAllen and then handed over to Mexican immigration officials.