‘Callous disregard for human life’: 3-year-old killed in U.S. human-smuggling disaster
A Dominican national has pleaded guilty to U.S. charges of human smuggling that resulted in the death of a 3-year-old boy in Puerto Rico.
According to a statement from the Department of Justice, Alcibades De Paz, pleaded guilty to one count of bringing certain aliens into the U.S., and faces a possible term of life in prison if found guilty.
De Paz admitted he was a captain of a vessel illegally transporting individuals, which included the 3-year-old boy, from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico. While evading authorities with his co–conspirators, De Paz accelerated his vessel towards Puerto Rico, but capsized at the shoreline, which resulted in the death of the child.
The Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force program, which focuses on human smuggling networks that present national security concerns, headed the investigation alongside the DOJ’s Criminal Division and the Department of Homeland Security.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said the tragic events show the callousness of human smugglers.
“While smuggling migrants by boat to the United States, Alcibades De Paz attempted to evade law enforcement and sped toward the beach – a decision that resulted in the death of a 3-year-old child after the vessel capsized. This tragedy demonstrates human smugglers’ callous disregard for human life. The Criminal Division is committed to combating human smugglers who prey upon vulnerable migrants,” Argentieri said.
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