Brownsville woman faces fifth charge for transporting undocumented immigrants

Brownsville native Lupita Ortiz started the New Year with four strikes against her.

And for a fifth time, Ortiz faces charges stemming from the transport of undocumented immigrants.

The 25-year-old woman is being held without bond under custody of the U.S. Marshal's Service.

Ortiz pleaded guilty Monday before U.S. District Judge Hilda G. Tagle in federal court in Brownsville to transporting an undocumented immigrant in November 2008. As part of her plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office, a second charge of inducing an undocumented immigrant to enter the United States was dismissed.

Ortiz's sentencing is slated for April 7.

Public records show that Ortiz has been in and out of federal courthouses in Brownsville, Corpus Christi and Laredo answering to human-trafficking cases since as early as 2000.

The federal court record, however, provides details only on cases relating to her from 2004 to the present.

Initially placed on probation, probated sentences dispensed against her also have been revoked several times. She has served roughly 10 months in federal jails.

The record also reflects that San Antonio has been the destination city in most of the cases.

In the present case, she was arrested after trying to smuggle one immigrant through the Gateway International Bridge. The complaint filed against her noted that Ortiz claimed she was to receive $300 for her efforts.

She also was arrested in October 2004 near Ben Bolt, Texas transporting four immigrants. She was to be paid $100 for each man.

Then came her arrest in November 2004 near George West. She was found with three immigrants and also claimed that she would be paid $100 for transporting each of them.

In that case, the immigrants waded into the United Stated via the Rio Grande near Hidalgo. A ‘coyote' guided the group around an U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint.

The guide placed a hat on the side of the road and told the immigrants that someone would pick them up. Ortiz, after spotting the hat, picked the group up, the court record reflects.

Law enforcement officials again ran into Ortiz in November 2006 while she was transporting four immigrants near a levee close to Brownsville.

Tagle ordered that a pre-sentencing investigation report be conducted prior to sentencing.