A Guatemalan woman who authorities say has been in the U.S. illegally since 1993 and has been living in Chattanooga is facing federal charges of fraudulently applying for a passport.
Authorities said Alejandra Ceniceros was born in Guatemala and illegally entered the U.S. in the vicinity of Nogales,Tex., in 1993. She was eventually placed on a list as deportable. She stopped contact with immigration officials and a judge ordered her removed.
Agents said in 2007 Ms. Ceniceros applied for a passport in the name of Guadalupe Araguz, who was born in 1979. She used a Social Security number that was not assigned to her. She later abandoned that application after she was asked for more documentation.
The complaint says in 2017 Ms. Ceniceros sent a passport application in the name of Guadalupe Araguz listing her address in Chattanooga. There was a red flag when Ms. Araguz also applied for a passport in Houston. Agents said they found that the woman in Houston "was the true Guadalupe Araguz."
Agents said Ms. Ceniceros admitted using a fraudulent passport and applying for a renewal for it. She said she knew the real Ms. Araguz. She said she had purchased her information from the uncle of Ms. Araguz.