A 25-year-old Laredo man is headed to federal prison after a failed migrant pickup near La Bota Ranch turned into a chase and yet another smuggling case on his record. U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana handed down 41 months for transporting illegal aliens and tacked on a consecutive 14 months for violating supervised release, for a total of 55 months, followed by two years of supervised release. At sentencing, prosecutors pointed to a lengthy criminal history that includes assaults, arson and multiple prior smuggling arrests.
Prosecutors' account of the pickup
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, investigators were running surveillance on Nov. 10, 2025, in the La Bota Ranch area when roughly 20 people crossed the Rio Grande and walked to a nearby boat ramp. A Ford Expedition and a Ford F-150 later rolled up to collect the group, and law enforcement moved in, triggering a stop and chase in which Selgado bailed out of the passenger side while several migrants scattered on foot. One migrant told agents he had paid to be smuggled and that Selgado was getting instructions by phone. Prosecutors say Selgado pleaded guilty on Feb. 3 and will stay in custody until he is transferred to the Bureau of Prisons.
Paisas gang ties in South Texas
Local reporting and state gang assessments have identified the Paisas, sometimes referred to as Mexicles, as a prison-linked gang with a footprint in Webb County and the Rio Grande Valley. That reporting traces the group’s connections to smuggling activity along the border, context prosecutors highlighted when noting Selgado’s admitted gang membership, as reported by the Laredo Morning Times.
Federal task forces behind the case
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative and Joint Task Force Alpha, multi-agency efforts aimed at taking apart cartel-linked smuggling and trafficking operations. The Homeland Security Task Force framework was created under Executive Order 14159 issued by the White House, which directs the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish HSTFs in each state. Prosecutors said HSTF South Texas brings together HSI, the FBI, DEA, ATF, the U.S. Marshals Service and state partners that helped drive the investigation.
What the sentence signals
Federal rules and sentencing guidelines give judges discretion to stack prison terms when someone commits a new federal crime while on supervised release, treating the revocation penalty and the new sentence as separate consequences for breaking supervision. The U.S. Sentencing Commission primer on supervised release outlines the statutory setup and the rationale behind ordering consecutive time in those situations, background that informs how judges decide whether to add prison time for violations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Day prosecuted the case. Selgado admitted his role in the ill-fated pickup and will serve the combined term before starting the two-year supervised release period.
