CBP Veteran Faces Decade in Prison for Protecting Undocumented Partner
Andres Wilkinson, a 52-year-old Customs and Border Protection supervisor with 25 years of service, has been arrested and charged with harboring his undocumented migrant girlfriend. The Justice Department announced the arrest, stating Wilkinson was fully aware of her unlawful immigration status yet continued their romantic relationship while providing substantial support.
Secret Investigation Reveals Complex Relationship
According to a criminal complaint filed earlier this month, federal authorities secretly observed Wilkinson and the woman for several months after CBP's Office of Professional Responsibility first spotted them together. The investigation revealed Wilkinson had used his position to help shield the woman, including traveling with her through Border Patrol checkpoints near the southern border.
The woman initially entered the United States on a temporary visa in August 2023 and subsequently overstayed. Records show her husband—not Wilkinson—filed a green card application on her behalf in January 2024 but canceled the petition in April 2025. Shortly thereafter, the secret investigation into Wilkinson's relationship with her began.
Financial Support and Familial Connection
The Justice Department detailed how Wilkinson provided his girlfriend with "financial support, including housing, credit cards, assistance with financial obligations and access to a vehicle registered in his name." When detained this month, the woman admitted she had been living with Wilkinson since August 2024.
Complicating matters further, investigators discovered the woman appears to be Wilkinson's niece. Records indicated she was the daughter of J. Santos Garcia-Moreno, whom Wilkinson had listed as his brother in a 2023 background check.
Political Outrage and Historical Comparisons
The case has sparked significant controversy, with critics drawing stark comparisons to Nazi Germany's Gestapo secret police. Occupy Democrats, an influential social media account supporting Democratic Party causes, warned the case sets "a terrifying precedent where falling in love with an undocumented immigrant and sharing your life with them is grounds for imprisonment."
"If this is starting to sound a lot like 1930s Germany, you would be correct," the group stated. One commenter remarked they were "totally getting Anne Frank vibes," referencing the teenage Holocaust victim whose family hid from Nazi persecution for over two years in Amsterdam.
Part of Broader Immigration Crackdown
U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei touted the arrest as another victory for President Trump's Operation Take Back America, describing it as "a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration."
However, recent data raises questions about the focus of these enforcement efforts. A Department of Homeland Security analysis obtained by CBS News revealed that less than 14 percent of immigrants arrested during the first year of Trump's second presidency had charges or convictions for violent criminal offenses. Earlier analysis by the University of California, Berkeley's Deportation Data Project found more than one-third of those arrested had no criminal history at all.
Legal Consequences and Ongoing Proceedings
Wilkinson, who had served with CBP since 2001 and was promoted to a supervisory position in 2021 overseeing "the enforcement of customs and immigration laws," now faces severe penalties. If convicted, he could receive up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine.
Following an initial court appearance, Wilkinson was remanded in custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for Friday. The outcome of that hearing was not immediately available. Assistant U.S. Attorney Manuel Cardenas will prosecute the case, which continues to generate national attention and debate about immigration enforcement priorities.
