The owners of a South Texas bakery have been charged with federal crimes after authorities found illegal immigrants working and living inside their business. The ICE raid in Los Fresnos resulted in the arrest of eight workers and felony charges for bakery owners Leonardo Baez and Nora Alicia Avila-Guel.
Court documents allege that Baez and Avila-Guel knowingly hired individuals who lacked legal work authorization and provided them with shelter inside an apartment attached to the bakery. Two workers confirmed to investigators that the owners were fully aware of their immigration status.
BREAKING: ICE conducted a worksite raid at a bakery in Texas. They arrested 8 illegal aliens and charged the owners with harboring and aiding illegal aliens.
The owners were charged with 8 USC 1324. This is the same statute Tom Homan has referenced multiple times.
Deport them… pic.twitter.com/PRjhcaxqia
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) February 21, 2025
Authorities searching the business discovered a small apartment with six beds, two bathrooms, and windows covered with cardboard. A judge ruled that the housing setup met the legal standard for harboring under federal law, allowing the case to proceed.
Abby's Bakery Los Fresnos, Texas admitting EVERY SINGLE EMPLOYEE was illegal and taken by ICE
“They took all the workers from here”
The business has already been updated on Google to say “Temporarily closed” pic.twitter.com/7PDgU9jlg3
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) February 15, 2025
During questioning, the bakery owners allegedly acknowledged that they had long anticipated being caught. Their attorneys argued that housing employees was not an attempt to conceal them from authorities, but the court rejected this defense and set a $100,000 bond for each defendant.
ICE Arrests Texas Bakery Owners for Harboring Migrants https://t.co/zgBvz5W486
— FollowTheMoney (@F_T_M_I_N_L) February 22, 2025
ICE officials stated that all eight workers remain in federal custody and are awaiting deportation. The agency emphasized that this case is part of a broader effort to enforce employment laws and deter businesses from hiring illegal labor.
Los Fresnos, a small town near the U.S.-Mexico border, has become a hotspot for immigration enforcement as officials intensify worksite raids across the region.
