A Roma smuggler stood before a federal judge this morning and said one word: "Guilty."

Elias Vasquez, 35, admitted he hid migrants in his apartment. When one got too sick to move, Vasquez had him wrapped in a blanket and dumped on the side of San Julian Road in rural Starr County. That road runs between Escobares and the back roads of the county. Vasquez now faces up to 10 years in federal prison.

He said pled guilty in federal court on June 15, 2026.

What made it worse: Vasquez was out on bond in two other cases when all of this happened.

On December 13, 2025, the Starr County Sheriff's Office got a call at 10:55 in the morning. Someone found a man on the side of San Julian Road. He was wrapped in a blanket. He was alive but very sick.

At the same time, federal agents got a second call. A witness said they saw someone carried out of an apartment in Roma and put into a car. Homeland Security Investigations called the Roma Police Department. Officers went to the apartment.

Inside they found Jesus Ian Garcia-Sanchez. He had crossed from Mexico without papers. He came with three others, including the sick man. They were all brought to Vasquez's apartment.

Garcia-Sanchez told police what happened. The sick man got worse inside the apartment. Vasquez made calls. A doctor showed up with IV bags. The doctor tried to help the man right there in the apartment.

Then Vasquez gave the order. He told the group to load the sick man into a car and leave him on the road. He told Garcia-Sanchez to stay behind and clean up the blood.

The sick man's family was in Mexico. They saw a post on Facebook from the Starr County Sheriff's Office about a man found on the road. They called the hospital. The hospital told them to call police. They said the man was crossing from Mexico to go to Florida to see family. He had not been in touch in days. Police confirmed who he was through his tattoos.

Vasquez did not stick around after the incident. When federal agents went to arrest him, he had already run. They found him hiding in a motel.

That detail mattered to the judge. Court records show that U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker noted Vasquez had fled his home and was caught hiding in the motel. The judge also noted Vasquez had been out on bond in two separate cases when he was arrested. Hacker ordered him held without bond.

A federal grand jury indicted Vasquez on January 6, 2026. The charge is harboring an undocumented person, a federal crime that can mean up to 10 years in prison. Vasquez has been held in custody since his arrest.

His attorney, Rene Orlando Garza of Rio Grande City, asked for more time several times. The trial was set and pushed back four times. On June 4, 2026, Garza filed a notice saying Vasquez planned to plead guilty.

This morning, Vasquez appeared before Chief Judge Randy Crane in McAllen. He waived his right to a jury trial. He pled guilty straight to the charge. There was no deal with prosecutors.

Sentencing is set for August 25, 2026. A probation officer will complete a full background report before that date. The judge will use it to decide the sentence.

Garcia-Sanchez was held as a key