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As such, my office will seek to hold those accountable who allegedly violate that trust. These allegations are serious and we will follow the case to its end to ensure justice is served overall, but especially on behalf of any potential young victim.
A former Southwest Key employee is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday in McAllen federal court on a three-count indictment accusing him of sexually abusing three migrant children on airplanes.
A federal grand jury indicted 61-year-old Harlingen resident Rodolfo Alanis on April 18. He was arrested that same day.
The indictment alleges the sexual abuse happened in April and May of 2022.
In a news release, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Alamdar S. Hamdani said his office will hold Alanis accountable.
“The migrant children in these facilities are the most vulnerable; they are alone and often do not speak the language,” Hamdani said in the release. “We have to entrust them to the care of others while there and as they are transported from point A to point B.
“As such, my office will seek to hold those accountable who allegedly violate that trust. These allegations are serious and we will follow the case to its end to ensure justice is served overall, but especially on behalf of any potential young victim.”
That news release said that Southwest Key employed Alanis as a youth care worker at its Brownsville and McAllen facilities.
Southwest Key operates a federal contract to temporarily house immigrant children.
Alanis has been detained since his arrest and a federal judge on Wednesday will determine whether to set a bond in the case.
