CBP Supervisor Arrested for Harboring Undocumented Niece

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection supervisor in Texas has been arrested on federal charges of harboring an undocumented immigrant with whom he was in a romantic relationship and who authorities say is his niece. Andres Wilkinson, 52, of Laredo, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas this week and was released on a $75,000 bond Thursday.

Prosecutors allege that Wilkinson, who joined CBP in 2001 and was promoted to a supervisory role in 2021, knowingly assisted Elva Edith GarciaVallejo after she overstayed a nonimmigrant visa she obtained in 2023 for tourism. The visa expired in February 2024. GarciaVallejo initially lived in Laredo with her husband, who filed a green card petition for her in January 2024 but withdrew it the following April. She and her minor daughter began residing with Wilkinson around August 2024, despite her unlawful status.

According to the criminal complaint, Wilkinson provided GarciaVallejo with housing in his Laredo home, financial support including credit cards and help with medical debt and other obligations, access to vehicles registered in his name, and transportation through U.S. Border Patrol checkpoints, including...