These days, fear is his constant companion. Whether working long hours in construction or spending time at home with his family, the Honduran immigrant and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) informant never feels safe. He lies awake at night, watching over his daughters, praying that he won’t be forced back to Honduras—where, he says, certain death awaits him for cooperating with U.S. authorities.
“Being in this country has been the greatest blessing,” he said in an interview with Noticias Telemundo, his voice filled with both gratitude and anxiety. “My focus has always been my family, my work, and my faith.” But now, after helping the DEA bring down a major drug trafficker, he faces the terrifying possibility of deportation. “If they send me back… I don’t know what will happen to me. My problem isn’t small—it’s life or death.”
The Shadowy World of Informants
Confidential informants play a critical role in dismantling drug cartels and criminal networks. Federal agencies like the DEA and FBI rely on their insider knowledge to build cases against kingpins. But for undocumented informants, this cooperation comes at a steep price. Without legal immigration status or protection, they are always one step away from deportation—and potential retaliation from the very criminals they helped bring down.
Although the Honduran informant lacks a visa or green card, he has temporary protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT), which prevents deportation to countries where individuals face a real risk of torture. However, legal experts warn that deportation laws allow for removal to third countries, potentially exposing informants to danger elsewhere in Latin America.
Noticias Telemundo sought comments from multiple federal agencies—including the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and the DEA—regarding the fate of immigrant informants. No response was received.
‘Informants Are the Wheels of Justice’
“The FBI investigates over 250 types of crimes, from counterterrorism to drug trafficking, and informants play a role in nearly all of them,” said Arturo Fontes, a former FBI agent with decades of experience tracking cartel leaders like Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. “We always say that informants are the wheels, and the government is the cart. Without the wheels, the cart can’t move.”
The Honduran informant echoes this sentiment. “In another country, without someone on the inside, it’s nearly impossible for the FBI or DEA to catch anyone. Sometimes we make mistakes, but without our help, many arrests would never happen.”
Between 2010 and 2015, the DEA employed over 18,000 informants, paying out nearly $237 million for their services. However, public records do not indicate how many of these informants were foreign nationals or what protections they received.
In 2021, watchdog group Open the Books revealed that DEA, FBI, and ATF informants collectively received over $550 million in payments. Yet, despite this financial reliance on informants, the government has a history of discarding them when they are no longer useful.
A Risky, Often Unrewarded Gamble
The relationship between law enforcement and informants has led to high-profile betrayals. Ernesto Gamboa, a Salvadoran auto mechanic, assisted authorities in hundreds of drug raids over 14 years, only to face deportation in 2009 after he stopped receiving financial support. Another informant, Carla Deras, was recruited by ICE to infiltrate a child-trafficking ring but was left in legal limbo after the agent who vouched for her left the agency.
“There are almost no restrictions on who the government can pressure into becoming informants,” said Alexandra Natapoff, a Harvard Law School expert on criminal justice. “And we provide little to no protection for those who risk their lives to cooperate.”
Even in cases where informants are eligible for an S visa—a special visa for those aiding law enforcement—the process is long and complicated. Despite a legal cap of 200 S visas per year, between 1995 and 2004, only 511 were approved. In 2012, just one was granted.
Kevin Johnson, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, noted that “prosecutors play a role in helping informants apply, but the process is incredibly difficult. Under the current administration, visa requirements are being tightened across the board, and this category is no exception.”
‘Left to Die’
Javier Maldonado, a Texas-based immigration attorney, has seen firsthand the devastating consequences for informants caught in legal limbo. “I’ve had clients who risked their lives to help authorities, only to be abandoned when they were no longer needed,” he said. “It’s a huge risk, and many of them end up deported anyway.”
The Honduran informant knows the danger is real. He says someone who assisted him in an investigation was recently killed in Honduras. “All of us who have collaborated are in grave danger.”
Maldonado agrees. “Especially in regions like Central America, returning means near-certain death. And with new policies allowing deportations to third countries, many more will be terrified of what awaits them.”
For now, the informant continues his daily routine—long hours of grueling construction work, building homes he may never live in. “It’s exhausting, 10 or 11 hours a day in the sun or freezing cold. But I do it for my family. Since my first daughter was born, my life has changed completely.”
Regret lingers in his voice. “I wish I had come here legally when I was younger. Maybe I wouldn’t be in this situation now.”
