A 34-year-old woman has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for her role in what authorities described as a “massive” human smuggling operation, with the case reflecting Pam Bondi’s expanded crackdown through Joint Task Force Alpha in 2025. The Department of Justice revealed on Monday that Monica Hernandez-Palma has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for taking part in an “international alien smuggling organization.”
According to court documents, from on or about Nov. 13, 2020, and continuing to March 7, 2023, Monica Hernandez-Palma, 34, and others, were part of an international alien smuggling organization (ASO) that illegally brought thousands of aliens from Afghanistan, Yemen, Egypt,… https://t.co/bHl88nPcT0
— sQuidvicious (@sQuidVicious_1) May 12, 2026
According to the DOJ, Palma, along with other unnamed individuals, was part of a large-scale organization. The operation began in 2020 and lasted until 2023. Court documents allege that Palma’s organization brought in undocumented immigrants from “Afghanistan, Yemen, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, and Ecuador into the United States from Mexico.”
The organization had “stash houses” in Mexico, and Palma was responsible for the one in Piedras Negras. The DOJ has alleged that Palma and her group would house undocumented immigrants in these stash houses. From there, the immigrants would be taken across the U.S.-Mexico border by “foot guides.”
Mejia-Zuniga, who has been accused of being a co-conspirator with Palma, spoke about the matter. She revealed that their organization helped between 2,500 and 3,000 undocumented immigrants enter the United States in just two years. According to the DOJ, the organization charged $6,500 to $12,000 per person to cross borders, helping it make $16 to $30 million over the three years the operation ran.
U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons spoke on the seriousness of the matter. “Alien Smuggling Organizations do not care about your hopes and dreams; they care only about your money,” Simmons began. “This sentencing represents a major blow to a complex criminal organization that has been successfully dismantled thanks to the work of our AUSAs and law enforcement partners.”
The attorney then thanked his office for its work with DHS. “My office is incredibly proud to work alongside Homeland Security Investigations and other Department of Homeland Security components to continue picking apart these alien smuggling organizations and hitting them where it hurts: in the pocketbook,” Simmons said.
Pam Bondi announces the expansion of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA): The task force will now cover our northern border and all of our maritime borders. Sec. Noem and I are expanding this to include DEA, ATF and FBI agents, to give us even more manpower. pic.twitter.com/ChleqBDoOd
— D. Scott @eclipsethis2003 (@eclipsethis2003) September 5, 2025
That said, while Pam Bondi is no longer the attorney general, her policies have paved the way for the crackdown on migrant smuggling. Under Pam Bondi, the Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA) was expanded to combat human smugglers. Originally, the task force focused on the southern border. However, Pam Bondi’s expansion allowed the task force to target northern border operations and maritime smuggling routes. This included routes through Canada.
The expansion of the task force was announced in September, 2025. “This Department of Justice is investigating and prosecuting human smuggling more aggressively than ever before, and Joint Task Force Alpha is the tip of the spear,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “We will not rest until those who profit from the suffering of vulnerable people — including many unaccompanied children — face severe, comprehensive justice.”
