Arizona Man Sentenced 52 Months for Migrant Death in Smuggling Case

Cesar Abraam Velasquez-Munoz, a 20-year-old from Peoria, Arizona, was sentenced to 52 months in prison for his role in a human smuggling operation that resulted in the death of a migrant. In March 2024, Velasquez-Munoz and his co-defendant, Steven Beltran-Lugo, picked up two migrants near the U.S.-Mexico border to smuggle them into the U.S. When Border Patrol agents began following their vehicle, Velasquez-Munoz instructed the migrants to exit the moving car; one jumped out safely, but the second suffered fatal injuries after Velasquez-Munoz accelerated as he exited, causing a brain hemorrhage and internal bleeding. The deceased migrant left behind a wife and several children. The sentencing was part of an effort by Joint Task Force Alpha, a Department of Homeland Security partnership focused on dismantling smuggling networks along the Southwest border. Beltran-Lugo was previously sentenced to 38 months for his role in the incident.