First trial of immigrant accused of trespassing on Texas border military zone ends in acquittal
BY URIEL J. GARCÍA
JUNE 5, 2025
UPDATED: 2 HOURS AGO
A federal jury and judge acquitted a 21-year-old woman from Peru on Thursday of illegally entering a national defense area and military reservation after she crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico into Texas last month, in what lawyers say is the first trial of an immigrant since the Trump administration declared parts of the New Mexico and Texas border as a military zone.
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“Hopefully, this sets the tone for the federal government,” said Veronica Teresa Lerma, one of her defense attorneys, adding, “so they know what the El Paso community will do with these charges.”
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At the heart of this case was whether the warning sign was visible to De La Cruz-Alvarez and if the sign was even up when she crossed the border.
“The biggest problem with this zone is that it’s a trap,” McMahon said.
During testimony, McMahon held a replica sign that appeared to be 1 foot wide by 2 feet tall. He held up the sign, asking the Border Patrol agent who arrested De La Cruz-Alvarez if he could read it.
The agent said he had a hard time reading it until McMahon held the sign approximately 10 feet away from the agent. Edgar Contreras, a Border Patrol agent, testified he couldn’t remember whether the sign was up when he arrested De La Cruz-Alvarez.
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Losers gotta lose!
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