SANTA FE, N.M. - Three Mexican nationals made their initial appearance in federal court here Thursday after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Investigations special agents arrested them for trying to use fraudulent identity cards to gain access to a secure area inside the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
ICE special agents on Wednesday arrested Noel Lopez-Villegas, 29, and brothers Juan Carlos Nieblas-Rodriguez, 41, and Guadalupe Nieblas-Rodriguez, 39. All are Mexican nationals who were illegally living and working in the United States.
On Wednesday, the three men presented fake resident alien cards ("green cards") as proof of their identity at the entrance to the Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, N.M. The officer in charge of authorizing access to secure areas at Los Alamos was suspicious of the authenticity of the resident alien cards and contacted ICE.
ICE special agents responded to the facility and determined that the cards were fraudulent. One of the men told special agents he had bought the fake document for between $70 and $75 in Albuquerque, N.M. Another said he obtained his card from a friend who has since left the country and returned to Mexico.
Further investigation revealed that the men were part of a crew contracted to do construction work inside the facility. The investigation is continuing.
"Obtaining and using counterfeit documents poses a clear national security threat," said Roberto G. Medina, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in El Paso. "ICE is committed to identifying, arresting and bringing to justice anyone involved who produces or sells counterfeit documents, as well as those who use them to falsely represent themselves."
All three men remain in the Regional Correctional Center in Albuquerque, N.M. A second hearing to determine custody conditions is set for today. They are charged with knowingly possessing alien registration card, which they knew to be forged, counterfeit, altered or falsely made.
According to its website, the Los Alamos National Laboratory is a national security facility. It develops and applies science and technology to ensure the nation's safety and security. Safeguarding critical infrastructure facilities such as this is an ICE priority.
