A series of immigration-related charges have been filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas. Between April 25 and May 1, 256 cases were initiated with a focus on protecting the southern border. The efforts were announced by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
The majority of the new cases involve 160 people charged with illegal entry into the United States, and an additional 83 individuals are alleged to have illegally reentered the country. Many are noted to possess prior felony convictions related to narcotics, firearms, and other crimes. Thirteen cases involve accusations of human smuggling, with the remainder pertaining to various immigration offenses.
Among those charged are three Mexican nationals apprehended in the McAllen area, alleged to have entered the country unlawfully. "This case demonstrates—like so many cases before it—that human smuggling is an inhumane, dangerous, and sometimes fatal business," said Ganjei.
Efforts include the indictment of two Guatemalan citizens who allegedly made false age claims to be treated as juveniles. Another notable conviction was of Mailon Almendares-Martinez, who was involved in human smuggling. Following a shooting incident en route to Houston, Almendares-Martinez directed co-conspirators to avoid medical attention for injured aliens. He faces up to ten years in federal prison.
Other sentences announced include Louis Dante Anthony's 30-month term for smuggling over three dozen illegal aliens in compromised conditions in a transportation compartment. Marco Cupil-Hernandez pleaded guilty to the assault of a Border Patrol agent, potentially facing 20 years imprisonment.
Additional sentences were issued to individuals like Porfirio Martinez-Santos and Juan Esteban Zelaya-Hernandez for illegal reentry following previous removals. Julio Cesar Corona-Corona and Alfredo Balderas-Rivera were also sentenced for similar offenses.
Federal law enforcement, including agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the FBI, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, referred or supported these cases. These efforts fall under Operation Take Back America, which seeks to combat illegal immigration and related crimes.
The Southern District of Texas is among the most active in the country, involving cooperation across seven divisions covering 43 counties. A defendant remains presumed innocent until proven guilty through due process.