Mexican National Used Counterfeit Green Card To Obtain Employment; ICE Detainer Issued As Broader Investigation Into Alleged Harboring Of Undocumented Workers Continues

Friday, March 13, 2026, 9:45 A.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

CHARLESTON, W.VA.- A Mexican national living in West Virginia without legal status has pleaded guilty in federal court to fraud and misuse of immigration documents after investigators determined he used a counterfeit permanent resident card to obtain employment at a restaurant in Nitro.

     According to federal court documents and statements made during proceedings, Jose Alfredo Cruz-Perez, 22, admitted to using a fake immigration document to secure work at Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in Nitro, West Virginia. Cruz-Perez was sentenced to time served, and federal authorities confirmed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lodged an immigration detainer to take him into administrative custody pending removal proceedings.

Investigation Triggered By Restaurant Search Warrant;

     The case stems from a January 16, 2026, law enforcement operation in which federal and local authorities executed a search warrant at the Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant.

     During the search, investigators encountered Cruz-Perez working at the establishment. Authorities later determined that he had presented a counterfeit Immigration Form I-551, commonly known as a Permanent Resident Card or “Green Card,” to obtain employment.

     Prosecutors said Cruz-Perez used the fraudulent document to work at the restaurant from approximately November 26, 2024, through January 16, 2026.

     Under federal law, the use of fraudulent immigration documents to obtain employment constitutes fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other immigration documents, a criminal offense.

Wider Federal Case Involving Six Defendants;

     Federal authorities say Cruz-Perez is one of six foreign nationals indicted following the execution of the search warrant as part of a broader investigation into alleged unlawful employment at the restaurant.

     In addition to the workers charged in the case, restaurant owner Miguel Aguirre-Arello Sr., 65, and restaurant manager Miguel Angel Aguirre, 42, both of Nitro, West Virginia, were also indicted.

     The indictment alleges the two men:

• Aided and abetted the harboring of undocumented foreign nationals, and
• Facilitated the unlawful employment of individuals without legal authorization to work in the United States.

     Prosecutors further allege that Miguel Angel Aguirre aided and abetted the fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other immigration documents connected to the workers employed at the restaurant.

     Authorities have not publicly released additional details about the other foreign nationals charged in the case.

Immigration Consequences;

     Following his guilty plea and sentencing, Cruz-Perez now faces immigration removal proceedings. An ICE detainer ensures that once he is released from federal criminal custody, he will be transferred directly into ICE administrative custody for possible deportation.

     Federal immigration detainers are routinely used to notify local or federal custodial authorities that ICE intends to assume custody of an individual believed to be removable under U.S. immigration law.

Presumption Of Innocence For Remaining Defendants;

     The criminal cases against Miguel Aguirre-Arello Sr., Miguel Angel Aguirre, and the remaining indicted individuals remain pending in federal court.

     Under U.S. law, an indictment is not evidence of guilt, but rather a formal accusation issued by a grand jury after reviewing evidence presented by prosecutors.

     All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

     The investigation into the alleged employment of unauthorized workers at the restaurant remains ongoing.

Editor’s Note:

This article was written by Art Fletcher and is based on publicly available federal court documents, charging records, and statements made during court proceedings. Charges against several defendants in this case remain pending. As required under U.S. law, those individuals are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. Immigration enforcement actions referenced in this report are administrative proceedings conducted separately from the federal criminal case.