A 29-year-old Weslaco man who worked escorting deportees onto federal flights was ordered held without bond Monday after investigators say they found videos of a naked 12-year-old girl on his phone, including footage allegedly captured with hidden cameras in his bathroom. Edgar E. Guillen was charged with possession of child pornography following a federal investigation that began with his arrest on October 20.
Hidden Cameras and a Federal Complaint
According to ValleyCentral, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General arrested Guillen on October 20 after finding videos of the girl on his phone. A federal criminal complaint states that Guillen kept videos of a naked 12-year-old girl on his device, and agents recovered three videos dated February 15 and three more dated February 28.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis Garcia told the court there is evidence of potential production of child pornography, alleging that Guillen set up hidden cameras in his bathroom that recorded the girl naked. Garcia asked the judge to hold Guillen without bond, citing both danger to others and risk of flight.
Defense Says Ties to Girl Were Cut
Assistant Federal Public Defender Alberto Osorio, who represented Guillen, told the judge that any ties to the alleged victim have been severed and that Guillen no longer had any connection with the girl. Osorio asked the judge to consider bond, possibly with GPS monitoring, and said Guillen’s mother could stay with him and ensure he made his court appearances.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Juan F. Alanis rejected that request. Alanis said the allegations were very serious and involved a young victim, and he remained concerned that Guillen’s family in Mexico made him a flight risk. “You’re going to be detained at this time,” Alanis said, ordering Guillen held without bond after the Monday hearing. Under Justice Department guidance in the Justice Manual, a detention hearing like the one Guillen faced should ideally occur immediately after a defendant’s first appearance before a judge.
A Job Escorting Deportees to the Tarmac
Guillen worked as an Air Detention Officer for GEO Transport, a company that deports migrants for the federal government. The job description for that role, per the outlet’s report, includes loading and unloading noncitizens, searching them for contraband, feeding them during flights, and escorting them to restrooms. It was unclear whether Guillen still worked for GEO Transport after spending six days in jail.
GEO Group, the Boca Raton, Florida-based parent company of GEO Transport, could not be reached for comment following Guillen’s hearing Monday afternoon. Guillen lives in Weslaco, graduated from Weslaco High School in 2015, and later enrolled at Schreiner University in Kerrville, where he studied communication, according to the same report.
