A husband and wife who own a bakery in South Texas are facing federal charges after authorities discovered they were employing and housing illegal immigrants. An ICE operation led to the arrest of eight workers at Abby’s Bakery in Los Fresnos, as well as the detainment of the bakery’s owners, Leonardo Baez and Nora Alicia Avila-Guel.
Federal prosecutors say Baez and Avila-Guel knowingly hired workers who were in the country illegally and provided them with shelter in an apartment attached to the bakery. During the investigation, at least two employees confirmed that the owners were fully aware of their immigration status but continued employing them.
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 apartment, which housed multiple workers, was described by agents as a small rectangular space with six beds, two bathrooms and no kitchen. A judge ruled that providing housing for undocumented workers met the legal definition of harboring, allowing the case to move forward.
Court records indicate that Baez and Avila-Guel admitted they were aware they were breaking the law, telling investigators, “We knew this would happen one day.” Their attorneys argued that offering shelter was not an attempt to conceal the workers from immigration authorities, but the judge disagreed.
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
All eight workers arrested during the raid remain in ICE custody and will be processed for removal. Federal officials say the bakery owners are facing felony charges under laws prohibiting the employment and harboring of illegal immigrants.
Los Fresnos, a border town with a population of around 10,000, has seen increased immigration enforcement as the administration cracks down on employers violating hiring laws.
ICE Arrests Texas Bakery Owners for Harboring Migrants https://t.co/zgBvz5W486
— FollowTheMoney (@F_T_M_I_N_L) February 22, 2025
