Abby's Bakery owners plead not guilty to harboring illegal migrants

LOS FRESNOS, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The owners of Abby's Bakery in Los Fresnos waived their right to an in-person arraignment and pleaded not guilty to their charges Wednesday.

Leonardo Baez and Nora Alicia Avila-Guel are charged with harboring people illegally present in the U.S. and aiding and abetting the harboring, according to a criminal complaint.

Baez and Avila-Guel were set to go before a judge Thursday for a hearing. However, because they waived their arraignment and pleaded not guilty, they were not required to appear in court in person.

The two business owners own Abby’s Bakery and Dulce’s Cafe in Los Fresnos.

They were arrested Feb. 12 after an anonymous tip made to the Homeland Security Investigations tip line advised that there were people working illegally at the bakery and that the owners were harboring migrants.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers entered the bakery in February to conduct worksite enforcement. There they found Baez and Avila-Guel , who identified themselves to authorities as the owners of Abby’s Bakery, and were charged after eight people present in the country illegally were found at their business.

As previously reported by ValleyCentral, law enforcement agents found a room in the same shopping center where the restaurant is located. The room was reportedly used to house the illegal immigrants.

They say the room had six mattresses on the floor, and at the time of the raid, there were two people staying there.

Baez and Avila-Guel have owned and operated Abby’s Bakery and Dulce’s Café in Los Fresnos since 2012.

The couple went before Cameron County Judge Laura L. Betancourt last month and were issued respective bond amounts of $100,000 with $15,000 cash deposits.

Baez and Avila-Guel have since posted bond and continue to operate their bakery and café.