Source: US FBI
HOUSTON – A total of 95 cases have been filed from June 27-July 2 on immigration matters and related efforts to secure the southern border in support of Operation Take Back America, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
A total of 62 people are charged with illegally entering the country, while another 26 face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felonies such as narcotics, violent crime, immigration crimes and more. Other relevant cases charged this week relate to human smuggling and other immigration crimes, drug trafficking and firearms.
Among the notable cases are charges against 16 foreign nationals illegally residing in Houston for drug trafficking and weapons allegations following an operation targeting Venezuelan nationals linked to the Anti-Tren criminal organization. Similar to the criminal activities members of Tren de Aragua have committed, Anti-Tren affiliates allegedly engaged in attempted murder, other acts of violence and threats of such. Some members have been charged with conspiring to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and various weapons crimes, with one allegedly being an alien in possession of ammunition.
“The Southern District’s twin priorities are securing our border and the eradication of violent crime. This case implicates both,” said Ganjei. “Operation Take Back America means going on the offensive against transnational criminal organizations to ensure that they cannot take root in our community and endanger public safety. SDTX is going to be unapologetic in carrying out that mission.”
New criminal complaints filed this week include the illegal reentry of several Mexican nationals after recent removals, including Cesar Alejandro Tovar-Guillen, a convicted felon for cocaine distribution. He had just been removed in March, but authorities discovered him unlawfully in the United States near Alton, according to the allegations. Charges allege Osvaldo Aguilar-Aguilar and Jose Alejandro Dominguez-Guzman had last been removed in October and November 2024, respectively. They both have previous convictions of illegal reentry and had served time in federal prison, according to their criminal complaints. While Juan Esquivel-Garcia allegedly has a previous conviction for trafficking methamphetamine and was previously sentenced to 75 months before his removal. They all face up to 20 years in federal prison, upon conviction.
In McAllen, Margarito Llanes was sentenced to 52 months in federal prison for alien smuggling. He led law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit ending when Llanes crashed into a tree seriously injuring all eight passengers. The pursuit lasted 1.5 miles with speeds reaching up to 70 mph. At the hearing, the court heard about his violent criminal conduct, which includes indecency with a child, robbery and alien smuggling.
Two Mexican nationals received multi-year sentences for illegally reentering the United States. Luis Ernesto Hernandez-Doria was ordered to serve 51 months, while Jose Angel Lopez-Herrera received a 46-month-term of imprisonment. At the Lopez-Herrera hearing, the court heard additional evidence regarding his criminal history, which included not only having reentered the country in 2022 but a human smuggling case in which one had drowned. In handing down Hernandez-Doria’s sentence, the court noted he needed a substantial sentence to deter him from illegally reentering again. He had three prior felony convictions for illegal reentry as well as a felony conviction for taking a weapon from an officer. His most recent removal was in July 2024.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – Homeland Security Investigations, ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.
An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.