EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A New Mexico man is facing new charges after he violated the conditions of a pre-trial release, where he was facing human smuggling charges, according to court documents obtained by KTSM 9 News.
Records show that Jason Mijarez-Alferez, 22, of Albuquerque, was arrested Wednesday on new charges of aggravated fleeing from a law enforcement officer. The arrest comes months after he was initially accused of smuggling migrants into the United States.
According to court filings from May 11, 2024, a U.S. Border Patrol agent was stationed at a checkpoint on Highway 185 in Dona Ana County when a gray BMW approached the primary inspection area. The driver, identified as Jacqueline Rodriguez, who was Mijarez-Alferez’s girlfriend at the time, consented to a vehicle search but told agents the trunk was broken and could not be opened.
Moments later, a gray Ford Mustang driven by Mijarez-Alferez pulled up behind the BMW. Rodriguez reportedly told agents that Mijarez-Alferez knew how to open the BMW’s trunk. Agents asked Rodriguez to step out of the vehicle and assist, then also requested permission from Mijarez-Alferez to search his Mustang’s trunk, which he granted.
However, before agents could proceed, Mijarez-Alferez and Rodriguez got back into the Mustang and fled the checkpoint at a high rate of speed, abandoning the BMW, according to court records.
Four days later, agents from the Las Cruces Smuggling Unit were notified by U.S. Customs and Border Protection that the same gray Mustang had been encountered at the Paso del Norte Port of Entry. Mijarez-Alferez was behind the wheel, and Rodriguez was in the passenger seat.
Both were taken into custody. During questioning, Mijarez-Alferez admitted that two migrants had been hidden in his Mustang’s trunk during the earlier incident and that Rodriguez had been transporting two others in the BMW when they fled the checkpoint.
The pair were subsequently charged with conspiracy to transport undocumented migrants.
Now, Mijarez-Alferez faces additional charges for aggravated fleeing of a law enforcement officer after violating the conditions of his pre-trial release. A warrant for his arrest was issued on October 28 in federal court in New Mexico. As of Wednesday, October 29, the 22-year-old remained held without bond at the Dona Ana County Detention Center.
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