A corrupt Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer got busted along with three other individuals in an immigration-related bribery case after he was paid to lift immigration detainers on specific illegal aliens who were in ICE custody, and he could now face up to 15 years in prison.
For background, Jose Angel Muniz, a 51-year-old Texas resident, was one of four men arrested on July 2, 2025, for a bribery scheme in which Muniz used his position as an Immigration and Customs Enforcment (ICE officer in the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) division to remove immigration detainers on certain individuals, who were then released instead of being deported.
According to a DOJ press release published on July 2, 2025, Muniz was arrested along with Leopoldo Perrault Benitez, Anthony Benitez, and Isaac Sierra, all of whom were bail bondsmen who conspired to pay Muniz to remove immigration detainers as part of a scheme that benefitted A Way Out Bail Bonds, a company owned by Leoploldo Benitiez, who employed his son, Andrew Benitez. Isaac Sierra was reportedly an employee at International Bonding Company.
In the DOJ press release, U.S. Attorney General for the Southern District of Texas Nicholas Ganjei condemned the acts of the four men, saying, “The Southern District of Texas takes allegations of corruption by federal officers extremely seriously, particularly those entrusted with keeping our border secure and our nation safe.” He added, “There is no room whatsoever for bribery or side deals when it comes to immigration enforcement.”
In addition, the DOJ’s press release confirmed that if the men are convicted, they face up to 15 years in prison, along with a fine “equal to the equivalent value of the bribes offered and received or $250,000, whichever is greater.” Moreover, the case was investigated by the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility and the FBI, according to the press release.
However, the DOJ press release clarified that at this point, Muniz and his co-conspirators have only been indicted, not convicted, saying, “An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.” In addition, the press release noted that Muniz and the other three men “were ordered into custody pending further criminal proceedings.”
The news of Muniz’s indictment comes at a time when threats and slander against ICE officers have reached an all-time high. According to a press release from the Department of Homeland Security issued on June 16, 2025, ICE officers are currently victimized by “disgusting smears” that are “designed to demonize and villainize our brave ICE law enforcement and have led to a more than 400 percent increase of assaults on our officers.”
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Moreover, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughin said that ICE agents were often wrongfully portrayed by woke groups and leftist media outlets, saying, “Politicians and activists must turn the temperature down and tone down their rhetoric.” She added, “These are the type of lies being spread to demonize our brave ICE law enforcement who risk their lives to remove criminal illegal aliens including suspected terrorists, gang members, murderers, and rapists from American communities. The facts are that ICE, and our federal partners, are targeting the worst of the worst.”
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