Landy Victoria Carrejo faces a state prosecution while federal authorities hold her in El Paso for immigration proceedings.
EL PASO, Texas — A New Mexico woman indicted in a child trafficking case is being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in El Paso, placing her in federal immigration custody while serious state criminal allegations remain unresolved across the state line.
Landy Victoria Carrejo, 37, is being held at the El Paso Processing Center while removal proceedings are pending, according to ICE records and local news reports. The immigration case follows an Otero County investigation that led to trafficking-related charges stemming from allegations that Carrejo repeatedly took children to an El Paso businessman who sexually abused them. Carrejo has denied the allegations, and the charges have not been proven in court.
KVIA reported that an Otero County grand jury indicted Carrejo in September after deputies investigated allegations involving two children. The sheriff’s office arrested her on two counts of criminal solicitation to commit human trafficking, according to the station’s review of court records. The underlying documents describe alleged abuse occurring over a period stretching from 2016 through 2024.
Carrejo was later released from Otero County detention on a personal recognizance bond, according to jail records cited by KTSM. She did not remain free, however. Federal immigration authorities subsequently took her into custody, and ICE records place her at the federal processing center on Montana Avenue in El Paso.
Noticias El Paso reported that immigration officers took Carrejo into custody Oct. 9 in Alamogordo. The outlet said federal records identify her as a Mexican national and that she remains in ICE custody while removal proceedings move forward. The Department of Homeland Security has said she will receive due process in those proceedings.
The immigration detention introduces a separate federal process from the New Mexico criminal prosecution. The available reports do not establish how or when the immigration case could affect the schedule of the state case. No reliable source reviewed for this article announced a trial date, plea agreement or resolution of the trafficking-related charges.
The criminal case centers on statements children gave investigators during forensic interviews. One teenager said the alleged abuse began at about age 4 or 5 and occurred repeatedly for years, according to court documents. Investigators said Carrejo allegedly received $400 to $500 following encounters involving the children. A younger child also described repeated visits to the El Paso home.
A father of one of the children told KTSM that he was concerned Carrejo could be removed from the United States before the criminal case is completed. He said he wants the allegations fully addressed through the justice system. The available reports do not indicate that federal authorities have announced a removal date.
The businessman identified in law enforcement documents as the other person accused of wrongdoing had not been publicly reported as charged in connection with the case in the sources reviewed for this article. Otero County authorities shared information about the allegations with El Paso police, according to the sheriff’s complaint. News organizations have sought comment from both the businessman and Carrejo’s attorney.
Carrejo remains presumed innocent of the state criminal allegations unless proved guilty. As of Oct. 17, she remained in federal immigration custody in El Paso, while the New Mexico prosecution and any related investigation involving authorities in Texas remained unresolved.
Author note: Last updated October 17, 2026.