U.S. citizen caught smuggling 13 illegals under flatbed near Deming

In a striking victory for border security and President Donald J. Trump’s strengthened immigration enforcement agenda, U.S. Border Patrol agents near Deming, New Mexico, intercepted a tractor-trailer smuggling 13 illegal aliens in a covert and dangerous operation orchestrated by a Maryland-based U.S. citizen. The late-night bust highlights the effectiveness of President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” and the reinvigorated border force’s commitment to cracking down on transnational criminal enterprises.

According to court records and a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, agents with the Deming Station Disrupt Unit were monitoring Interstate 10 around 12:25 a.m. on June 25 when they spotted a suspicious red International tractor-trailer hauling an empty flatbed—a common tactic used by smugglers to conceal human cargo. The vehicle, with Maryland and Maine plates, attempted to bypass a known Border Patrol checkpoint by taking a circuitous route north on Gold Road and east on State Road 26.

Upon pulling the vehicle over near mile marker 11, agents encountered 40-year-old Jarol Wilberto Arroyo-Cerin, who initially appeared cooperative. After granting permission to search the cab, agents discovered one woman hiding inside. Further inspection revealed a shocking sight: 12 more individuals crammed into hidden compartments, including under the flatbed, laying on wooden boards and rubber mats—conditions described by witnesses as dangerous, uncomfortable, and terrifying.

The 13 smuggled individuals originated from Mexico, Guatemala, and Ecuador, including an unaccompanied minor. All admitted to illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, primarily near Mount Cristo Rey. Witnesses detailed how they were picked up in black vehicles and delivered to a semi-truck at a shopping mall in El Paso. One material witness stated the driver gave specific instructions to hide in the trailer’s floor compartment—an area so cramped and unstable it left them fearing for their life.

Following his arrest, Arroyo-Cerin confessed to agents that he had repeatedly transported illegal aliens—about six at a time—on at least five prior occasions. He was allegedly recruited at a truck stop in Albuquerque by a known associate working with smuggling operations and was being paid per person.

Arroyo-Cerin now faces federal charges for conspiracy to bring in and transport illegal aliens, a felony under 8 U.S.C. § 1324. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and El Paso Sector Border Patrol Chief Walter N. Slosar announced the charges, praising the agents’ work as part of Operation Take Back America—a DOJ-led initiative championed under President Trump’s administration to destroy cartels, eliminate transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and repel the ongoing invasion at the southern border.

“This case proves that our border agents, empowered under President Trump’s leadership, are doing what it takes to dismantle smuggling networks and protect American communities,” said Ellison. “We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to uphold the rule of law and deliver justice.”

The investigation was led by the U.S. Border Patrol with prosecution by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Tonkin under the Department of Justice’s coordinated crackdown on illegal immigration and organized crime.

With America’s renewed commitment to border enforcement, operations like this show that the days of open borders and unchecked smuggling are over. President Trump’s immigration force is not only back—it’s working.

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