Immigrant Rights Advocate Julie Contreras From Waukegan Illegally Detained By Mexican Authorities For Child Trafficking In Nuevo Laredo

Contreras who in 2020 was recognized by Telemundo Chicago for her 30 years of advocating for immigrant rights was illegally taken into custody by Nuevo Laredo municipality Mexican authorities.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

March 19, 2023

Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico - On Saturday, Julie Contreras, 57, a resident of Waukegan, Illinois was illegally taken into custody by authorities from Mexico's Federal Attorney General's Office (FGR), the State of Tamaulipas Attorney General's Office (FGJT), and the Tamaulipas State Police on allegations for child trafficking.

Contreras who is a Humanitarian Advocate at United Giving Hope NFP attempted to cross into the U.S. at the border crossing in the Laredo, Texas and Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas International Bridge #1, but was denied entry into the U.S. with multiple children. She was then arrested by Mexican authorities in Nuevo Laredo for child trafficking. 

Contreras was able to send a Facebook message to Alvira Arellano in Chicago saying that the Mexican military had surrounded her vehicle and that child traffickers in the area will know about it and that she was afraid that she would be killed.

The FGR decided not to criminally process Contreras for child trafficking, since she had parental authority documents for the children to cross into the U.S. The FGR also realized that no valid criminal arrest warrant was issued to detain her.

The FGJT then took custody of Contreras and are processing her on frivolous child trafficking criminal charges.

According to a news article posted in the Entidad 28 Facebook page, the reporter Mario Rivera alleged that Jóse Raúl Rodriguez Ornelas, the Nuevo Laredo Municipality Attorney for the Defense of Minors from the DIF (Desarrollo Integral Familiar/Integrated Family Development) ordered municipality police to arrest Contreras without a valid criminal warrant accusing her of child trafficking.

Update: Contreras was released  on Sunday afternoon by Mexican state authorities in Nuevo Laredo and then she took an air flight out of Laredo around 8:00 p.m., according to a Facebook post on her account.