South Texas Bakery Owners Arrested After ICE Discovers Illegal Workers

Federal agents raided a bakery in Los Fresnos, Texas, arresting the owners for allegedly employing and housing illegal immigrants. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation resulted in the detainment of eight workers and criminal charges against the bakery’s owners, Leonardo Baez and Nora Alicia Avila-Guel.

Court filings allege that Baez and Avila-Guel knowingly hired individuals without legal work authorization and provided them with housing inside an apartment attached to the business. Two of the workers reportedly informed 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

During the raid, authorities discovered living conditions inside the apartment that included six beds lined up against a wall, two bathrooms and covered windows. The federal judge handling the case ruled that these arrangements met the standard for harboring illegal immigrants under federal law.

The couple allegedly admitted to investigators that they had long anticipated being caught. Their attorneys pushed back, arguing that providing housing was not an attempt to conceal the workers. However, the judge dismissed this claim and set bond at $100,000 each.

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 confirmed that the detained workers remain in federal custody and are set for deportation. Officials also stated that businesses hiring illegal immigrants will face increased scrutiny under the administration’s crackdown on employment law violations.

The arrests come amid heightened immigration enforcement in South Texas, where ICE has focused on worksite investigations and employer compliance.