The Kansas Highway Patrol arrested a New Jersey man this week for allegedly violating the state’s human smuggling law, which was enacted last year.
Juan E. Pescador-Chimal, 46, from Moorestown, New Jersey, was taken into custody at 3:40 a.m. on Wednesday and booked into Shawnee County Jail. He is being held on a $1 million bond, facing one felony charge of human smuggling, according to jail records.
As of Friday, formal charges had not been filed, and the highway patrol has not released additional information about the case.
What does the law criminalizing human smuggling say?
Kansas passed the law criminalizing human smuggling last year after overriding a veto by Governor Laura Kelly.
To be considered human smuggling under this law, the following criteria must be met:
- A person knows or should have known that the individual they are dealing with has entered or remains in the U.S. illegally.
- The person benefits financially or receives something of value.
- The person knows or should have known that the individual being smuggled is likely to be exploited for someone else’s financial gain.