Wilmar Aristo Pablos-Miguel, a 42-year-old Mexican national living illegally in Nitro, pleaded guilty on Mar. 24 to fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents. He was sentenced to time served and will be transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for removal proceedings.
The case is part of a broader effort targeting immigration violations in the region. Authorities said that Pablos-Miguel used a counterfeit Permanent Resident Card—commonly known as a Green Card—to obtain employment at Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in Nitro from June 28, 2025, through January 16, 2026. Law enforcement encountered him during the execution of a search warrant at the restaurant on January 16.
Pablos-Miguel is one of six individuals indicted after the search warrant was executed. All were alleged to have been working at the restaurant without legal status. The restaurant’s owner Miguel Aguirre-Arello Sr., age 65, and his son Miguel Angel Aguirre, age 43—both from Nitro—were also indicted on charges related to harboring aliens and aiding visa fraud. Indictments against them and other defendants are pending; all are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The arrests stemmed from Operation Country Roads—a joint effort led by ICE with state and local law enforcement partners—which resulted in over 650 arrests throughout West Virginia during January 2026.
United States Attorney Moore Capito announced the outcome and commended Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), ICE-Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), Nitro Police Department, and St. Albans Police Department for their work on this case. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over sentencing while Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan T. Storage and Erik S. Goes prosecuted as part of an office unit focused on Operation Take Back America’s immigration enforcement objectives.
Operation Take Back America is described as a nationwide initiative that uses resources from the Department of Justice to address illegal immigration issues, eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect communities from violent crime.
