The owners of a bakery in Los Fresnos, Texas, are facing federal charges after authorities discovered they were employing and housing illegal immigrants in an apartment connected to the business. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided the establishment, detaining eight workers and arresting the bakery’s owners, Leonardo Baez and Nora Alicia Avila-Guel.
According to a criminal complaint, Baez and Avila-Guel knowingly hired employees without proper work authorization and provided them with housing. Investigators found that at least two workers, both Mexican nationals, told officials that the owners were fully aware of their status but chose to employ them anyway.
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
The living quarters inside the business reportedly contained six beds, two bathrooms, and no kitchen. A federal judge determined that these conditions constituted harboring under federal law, dismissing defense arguments that the workers were free to leave at any time.
During questioning, Baez and Avila-Guel allegedly admitted that they expected immigration authorities to take action against them. Following the court hearing, both were ordered to post a $100,000 bond.
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
ICE Arrests Texas Bakery Owners for Harboring Migrants https://t.co/zgBvz5W486
— FollowTheMoney (@F_T_M_I_N_L) February 22, 2025
ICE confirmed that all eight detained workers are being processed for removal. The agency reiterated its commitment to targeting businesses that violate federal employment laws.
Los Fresnos, a town near the US-Mexico border, has seen an uptick in worksite enforcement actions as part of broader immigration policy changes under the administration.
