Man sentenced following death of migrant from attempt to cross the US border

SAN DIEGO (KYMA, KECY) - A man was sentenced to 36 months in prison following a smuggling event that led to the death of a migrant, according to United States Department of Justice.

Alberto Ubaldo Quintero-Rivas of Mexicali, Mexico, brought two migrants to the United States near Andrade on February 22, 2024, says the Department. The migrants scaled a fence on the border when a 51-year-old migrant fell, suffered a head injury and died.

Border Patrol agents later found Quintero-Rivas and the other migrant in a nearby RV park, where the agents later found the body of the 51-year-old man.

“This tragic death serves as a haunting reminder that heartless smugglers would not – and in this case did not - hesitate to leave a man to die,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “As we seek justice for those lost, we remind anyone contemplating a similar journey that smugglers consider human lives simply as a transaction. Don’t trust your life to a smuggler.”