Tucson Standard

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that Ivan Mauricio Hernandez-Mosqueda, a resident of Guanajuato, Mexico, was sentenced to 46 months in prison followed by supervised release for his involvement in human smuggling. The information was provided in a news release on April 8.

Hernandez-Mosqueda pleaded guilty to conspiracy to encourage and induce an alien to unlawfully enter the United States, a Class C felony. According to a CBP news release, Hernandez-Mosqueda coordinated the illegal crossings of over 100 Mexican nationals during the 2024 migrant surge. The release also notes that he instructed migrants to falsely claim asylum. The case resulted from collaboration between the Assistant U.S. Attorney’s office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Tucson Sector of CBP.

The Tucson Sector covers much of Arizona, stretching approximately 262 miles from the New Mexico border to Yuma County’s border. According to CBP’s webpage dedicated to the sector, it employs about 3,700 agents across nine stations located in Why, Casa Grande, Douglas, Bisbee, Nogales, Sonoita, Tucson, Three Points, and Wilcox. Originally known as the Nogales Sector, it was established on July 1, 1924, with the sector headquarters relocating to Tucson two years later.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is tasked with safeguarding the nation’s borders and preventing illegal entry of people and contraband. Established in 1924, CBP operates across 328 ports of entry, protecting 7,000 miles of land borders and 95,000 miles of maritime borders.