Cortinas Jr. was arrested in June after a U.S. Border Patrol agent at a checkpoint discovered 8 undocumented individuals being smuggled from Laredo.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
July 6, 2022
Laredo, Texas - On June 6, 2022, Guadalupe "Lupe" Cortinas Jr., 46, the Assistant Principal at Francisco Farias Elementary School was arrested at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint at the 29 mile marker of Interstate 35 along with 8 undocumented individuals, according to a federal affidavit in support of criminal charges for smuggling undocumented individuals.
According to the indictment, Cortinas Jr. who was traveling in a gray Chevrolet Tahoe stopped at the previously mentioned border patrol checkpoint at 2:35 a.m. when a U.S. Border Patrol agent (BPA) while inspecting the inside of Cortinas Jr.'s truck noticed multiple individuals hiding under some camping items. The BPA had asked Cortinas Jr., if he was going camping and he responded "No", but that he was headed to see his sister.
Once the BPA noticed multiple individuals hiding in the truck, he asked Cortinas Jr. to exit the vehicle including all the occupants in the truck that were hiding.
Cortinas Jr. and the 8 undocumented individuals were taken into custody. Cortinas Jr. while being interviewed told the BPA that he was under the influence of alcohol and cocaine, according to the federal affidavit.
Several Mexican national undocumented individuals agreed to testify against Cortinas Jr., who told the BPA that they made arrangements to be smuggled into the U.S. from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico and had stayed at muliple stash houses in Laredo and that someone would pick them up to transport them to Colorado. When approaching the checkpoint, Cortinas Jr. told the undocumented individuals to keep quiet, according to two of the individuals being smuggled.
Undocumented individuals pay smugglers (coyotes) between $8,000 to $15,000 per person to be smuggled into the U.S.
If convicted, Cortinas Jr. is facing up to 10 years in a federal prison and a fine for each federal count conviction.
Cortinas Jr. who was hired in 2018 by the Laredo Independent School District (LISD) makes more than $80,800 per year.
A GoFundMe account was created for his legal defense, which also stated his "temporary lapse in judgement" before it was disabled after this article was published and had raised $570 of $10,000 sought. The LISD has not made Cortinas Jr.'s arrest public to the parents of the students attending the school, but has been placed on administrative leave (not known, if paid or none paid leave) pending the outcome of the federal indictment.
On June 30, 2022, U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher Dos Santos of the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Texas
dismissed the federal criminal complaint against Cortinas Jr. as motioned by the government including the released of two material witnesses detained, according to a dismissal motion in case #5:22-mj-01057 was filed.
Editor's note:
On Tuesday, Poncho Casso who is a candidate for Mayor in Laredo posted information on his Facebook account about the BPA arrest of Cortinas Jr. for allegedly smuggling undocumented individuals. Also, Priscilla Villarreal-Treviño, from La GordiLoca News Facebook page reported what Casso had posted and included a one-page federal affidavit supporting the federal criminal charges against Cortinas Jr.
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