CBP officer faces federal fees over allegations he harbored an unauthorized immigrant who was additionally his girlfriend and niece

A U.S. Customs and Border Safety officer is dealing with federal prison fees over allegations he harbored an immigrant who officers say is within the nation illegally and can also be the officer’s girlfriend and niece.

The Justice Division alleges that CBP officer and supervisor Andres Wilkinson was dwelling in Laredo, Texas, with a girl who had overstayed her visa and is now within the U.S. illegally. The girl entered the U.S. on a short lived visa in August 2023, in keeping with the prison criticism filed earlier this month. 

Wilkinson allegedly offered her “monetary help, together with housing, bank cards, help with monetary obligations and entry to automobile,” the Justice Division stated. The prison criticism states they traveled collectively via Border Patrol checkpoints close to the Texas border.

The Justice Division stated Wilkinson was “conscious of her illegal immigration standing but maintained a romantic relationship together with her.”

In keeping with the criticism, officers collected info “indicating” that the girl is definitely Wilkinson’s niece, and that she’s married to a different man. However the criticism additionally says that her husband, who had filed a inexperienced card software with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Companies on her behalf in January 2024, canceled the petition in April 2025. A month later, the CBP Workplace of Skilled Duty noticed Wilkinson, the girl and her daughter collectively and investigated their relationship for months.

CBP OPR investigators discovered that the girl was the daughter of a person named J. Santos Garcia-Moreno, whom Wilkinson had listed as his brother in his 2023 background investigation. And when CBP OPR detained the girl in February 2026, she admitted she had been dwelling with Wilkinson since August 2024. 

CBS Information reached out to an legal professional listed as Wilkinson’s lawyer and has but to listen to again. CBP didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

If convicted, Wilkinson, 52, might withstand 10 years in jail and doubtlessly a $250,000 tremendous, the Justice Division stated. He made an preliminary look and stays in custody pending a detention listening to scheduled for Friday, officers stated.

Wilkinson has been with CBP for nearly 25 years and was promoted in 2021 to a supervisory position, the place his duties included overseeing the enforcement of immigration legal guidelines, in keeping with the Justice Division.