Migrant Smuggler Pleads Guilty to Fatal Maritime Operation That Claimed 11 Lives

In yet another grim reminder of the Biden administration’s failed immigration policies, a Dominican national has pleaded guilty to operating an illegal migrant smuggling operation that resulted in the tragic deaths of 11 people. The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that 45-year-old Fermin Montilla now faces life in prison for his involvement in the deadly maritime venture.

Montilla was charged with "bringing aliens to the United States at a place other than a designated point of entry resulting in death." The operation, which attempted to smuggle 48 illegal migrants into the U.S., ended in disaster when the vessel capsized off the coast of Puerto Rico. While 38 individuals were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard, the rest perished in the treacherous waters.

This tragedy is just one example of the mounting death toll at the U.S. border. According to the International Organization for Migration, 686 migrants died along the southern land route in 2022 alone, highlighting the human cost of the Biden administration’s weak enforcement. The lack of decisive leadership has created an environment ripe for exploitation by smugglers, where desperate people risk everything for a chance to enter the country illegally.

• Montilla’s operation in 2022 resulted in 11 deaths, underscoring the dangers migrants face in smuggling ventures.

• Under the Biden-Harris administration, over 10 million migrants have crossed the border, far surpassing the numbers during Trump’s tenure.

• The rising death toll reflects a broader crisis, with 1.7 million illegal immigrant "gotaways" recorded since 2021.

The Biden administration’s open-border policies have not only encouraged more illegal crossings but have also led to a surge in fatal attempts by land and sea. In one recent case, a video surfaced showing 25 illegal immigrants landing on the beaches of Malibu, California—a stark image of the escalating crisis. Just weeks later, the Coast Guard suspected another migrant landing in the same affluent area.

Compared to the Trump administration, which recorded only 415,000 gotaways from 2018-2020, the current administration’s numbers are staggering. While the Democrats continue to turn a blind eye to the border crisis, smugglers like Montilla profit off human suffering.

The consequences of Biden’s lax immigration enforcement are deadly, and this case is only the tip of the iceberg. The American people deserve better—strong leadership that will prioritize securing our borders and stopping the deadly flow of illegal immigration.

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