Fort Cavazos Soldiers Plead Guilty to Human Smuggling Charges

Two soldiers from Fort Cavazos, Enrique Jauregui and Angel Palma, have pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain. Jauregui organized the smuggling operation and recruited Palma and Emilio Mendoza Lopez, providing them with instructions and the locations to pick up illegal aliens. On November 27, 2024, Palma and Mendoza Lopez led U.S. Border Patrol agents on a high-speed chase after picking up three illegal aliens, resulting in injuries to a Border Patrol agent when they struck a marked vehicle. While all but Palma were apprehended at the scene, he was later arrested at a hotel in Odessa. Both Jauregui and Palma face up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, with sentencing set for May 23, while Mendoza Lopez is scheduled for sentencing on April 25. The case is under investigation by multiple federal agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Border Patrol.