U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers deported a 28-year-old Mexican national after an investigation showed the illegal alien from Mexico tried to fraudulently transfer her newborn baby to another individual because of a debt to smugglers. Maria Lidia Valle-Hernandez is now back home in Mexico.
Authorities allege the human trafficking scheme began when Valle-Hernandez registered under a false name at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Lake Saint Louis, Missouri. According to ICE, Valle-Hernandez intended to allow another woman, who was also an illegal alien, to claim the child as her own. After being discharged from the hospital, Valle-Hernandez provided the imposter with her hospital identification wristband for the purpose of fraudulently claiming the newborn child.
Lake Saint Louis Police officers were notified of the scheme to illegally transfer custody of the child by a concerned party that remains unidentified. Lake Saint Louis Police officers notified the hospital, Missouri Children’s Division, and ICE Homeland Security Investigations agents of the information.
HSI Special Agents determined that Valle-Hernandez was the child’s birth mother after confirming her identity through fingerprint records. Despite receiving multiple opportunities to correct her statements, Valle-Hernandez persisted in her false claims throughout the investigations until confronted with fingerprint evidence. Valle-Hernandez eventually admitted to investigators her actions were motivated by financial hardship and a debt to smugglers, which she hoped to resolve by bringing her other child from Mexico to the United States.
HSI Special Agent in Charge Gregory Paris of the St. Louis Field Office commented on the investigation, saying, “Human trafficking and smuggling exist everywhere, even in quiet, low-crime communities such as Lake Saint Louis, Missouri. This investigation is a great example of HSI and local police working together to disrupt the smuggling and trafficking networks that profit off the vulnerable and use false promises to create a magnet for continued smuggling.”
The collaboration between local law enforcement and ICE investigators is not commonplace in every jurisdiction, as some locally instituted policies and state laws preclude sharing information with ICE, even in matters of child safety. Lake Saint Louis Police Chief Chris DiGiuseppi highlighted the cooperation between his officers, ICE, and the hospital staff, saying, “We appreciate the collaboration with our federal partners to keep our community safe. Educating law enforcement, medical staff, and the public on the indicators of human trafficking will ultimately aid in protecting victims and holding suspects accountable.”
Valle-Hernandez has an extensive immigration record in the United States. U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered Valle-Hernandez after she illegally entered the United States near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on five occasions in August 2022. Valle-Hernandez was persistent in her attempts to get away from the Border Patrol and was arrested twice on the same day that month. She was returned to Mexico after each arrest.
Valle-Hernandez’s criminal history includes an arrest by Chesterfield police for fourth-degree domestic assault. According to ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officials, Valle-Hernandez was removed from the United States following an immigration court order on May 11.
The newborn was taken into protective custody by Missouri Children’s Division.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
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