Texas CBP Supervisor Charged With Harboring Undocumented Girlfriend Who Is Also His Niece
A 52-year-old Customs and Border Protection supervisor, Wilkinson, who has served nearly 25 years and was promoted to a supervisory immigration-enforcement role in 2021, has been criminally charged after a Justice Department complaint alleges he harbored an unlawfully present woman who was both his girlfriend and his niece. The complaint says the woman entered the U.S. on a temporary visa in August 2023 and overstayed, and that Wilkinson provided her housing, credit cards, financial assistance, vehicle access, and traveled with her and her daughter through Border Patrol checkpoints; DOJ alleges she is the daughter of a man Wilkinson listed as his brother on a 2023 background check. USCIS records show a green-card petition for the woman filed by her husband in January 2024 and withdrawn in April 2025, CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility observed Wilkinson with the woman and her daughter in May 2025 and investigated for months, and she was detained in February 2026 after admitting she had lived with Wilkinson since August 2024.
📌 Key Facts
- A DOJ complaint alleges the woman entered the U.S. on a temporary visa in August 2023, then overstayed and became unlawfully present.
- The woman told investigators in February 2026 she had been living with CBP supervisor Wilkinson since August 2024; DOJ says she is likely his niece because she is the daughter of a man Wilkinson listed as his brother on a 2023 background check.
- Wilkinson is 52, has worked at U.S. Customs and Border Protection for nearly 25 years, and was promoted to a supervisory role overseeing immigration-law enforcement in 2021.
- DOJ alleges Wilkinson provided the woman with housing, credit cards, help with financial obligations, access to a vehicle, and traveled with her and her daughter through Border Patrol checkpoints.
- CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility observed Wilkinson, the woman, and her daughter together in May 2025 and investigated their relationship for months before the woman was detained in February 2026.
- USCIS received a green-card petition for the woman from her husband in January 2024; that petition was withdrawn in April 2025.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Confirms via DOJ complaint that the woman entered the U.S. on a temporary visa in August 2023 and overstayed, making her unlawfully present.
- Details that Wilkinson allegedly provided the woman with housing, credit cards, help with financial obligations, vehicle access, and traveled with her and her daughter through Border Patrol checkpoints.
- Reports that USCIS received a green-card petition for the woman from her husband in January 2024, which he then withdrew in April 2025.
- Clarifies CBP Office of Professional Responsibility observed Wilkinson, the woman, and her daughter together in May 2025 and investigated their relationship for months before detaining her in February 2026.
- Adds that the woman admitted in February 2026 she had been living with Wilkinson since August 2024 and that DOJ believes she is the daughter of a man Wilkinson listed as his brother in a 2023 background check, indicating she is his niece.
- Specifies Wilkinson is 52, has been with CBP nearly 25 years, and was promoted to a supervisory role in 2021 overseeing immigration-law enforcement.