HOUSTON, Texas — Authorities have charged a 52-year-old woman with human trafficking after she allegedly smuggled a woman and her two children from Mexico into the United States and confined them in a garage, according to court documents.
Police arrested Maria de Jesus Andrade on July 10 at her residence on the 5700 block of Laurel Creek Way in Houston. She faces one count of human trafficking for forced labor.
Andrade was released from custody after posting a $75,000 bond. Her next court appearance is scheduled for August 14.
According to investigators, the case began in February 2024, when the victim contacted police and reported months of confinement and forced labor.
The woman, originally from Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico, told authorities she met Andrade in 2011 through her mother. Andrade frequently traveled to Mexico for medical treatment, during which the victim occasionally assisted her by driving her to appointments.
In February 2023, after the victim’s son died, Andrade allegedly offered to help by providing a job opportunity in Houston. She promised work permits and visas for the woman and her two surviving children, stating the job would be at a local police station.
The woman agreed to travel to the United States. In October 2023, Andrade allegedly arranged for their journey. However, the victim later told authorities that she was picked up in an overcrowded van and realized she was part of a smuggling operation.
She described smugglers yelling for phones to be turned off and taking the group to an unfamiliar location, where they waited for two days.
The victim stated that armed smugglers eventually transported the group to the border wall and instructed them to run toward it. After crossing, U.S. immigration agents detained them. They were held at a detention center in Arizona for three to four days, where they were fingerprinted and photographed.
They were later transferred to a facility identified as “Alitas Blancas,” where the victim contacted Andrade to secure their release. Andrade picked them up at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.
Once at Andrade’s home, the victim said she and her children were confined to a garage, while her daughter was separated and made to sleep in a bedroom with Andrade. The victim described the garage as having only a bed and a fan, with no air conditioning.
Andrade allegedly forced the woman to work in her home and at a local restaurant, confiscating all of her earnings. The promised visas and work permits were never provided.
In February 2024, the victim found the garage door unlocked and escaped with her children. She later reported the incident to police, prompting an investigation by the Houston Police Department and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
The investigation remains ongoing. Authorities encourage anyone with relevant information to contact law enforcement.
