Federal prosecutors in South Texas file 256 immigration and border security related criminal cases in single week
Houston, Texas – Federal prosecutors in South Texas announced a sweeping week of immigration and border security enforcement actions that resulted in hundreds of criminal cases involving alleged illegal reentry, human smuggling, and other immigration-related offenses.
According to Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck, authorities filed a total of 256 immigration and border security-related criminal cases between May 1 and May 7 across the Southern District of Texas.
Federal officials said the charges included 40 individuals allegedly connected to human smuggling operations. Prosecutors also filed 46 criminal complaints involving illegal entry into the United States.
The largest category of cases involved felony reentry offenses. Authorities said another 180 people were charged with illegally returning to the country after having already been deported or removed previously.
Officials noted that many of the individuals charged during the enforcement effort allegedly had significant criminal records that included narcotics offenses, violent crimes, prior immigration violations, and other felony convictions.
Several Cases Focused On Individuals Found Near Border Communities
Among the newly filed cases were several involving individuals discovered in the McAllen region.
Federal prosecutors said one of the men charged was Armando Montoya-Cardozo, a Bolivian national. According to court documents, Montoya-Cardozo had previously been convicted of carnal knowledge of a minor before being removed from the United States.
Authorities alleged that law enforcement officers later found him near Roma without legal authorization to be in the country.
Another case involved Mexican national Juan Jose German-Carrillo. Prosecutors said he had already been removed from the United States on Jan. 8 before authorities allegedly found him again near Roma.
Court records state that German-Carrillo previously had convictions involving injury to a child or elderly person along with possession of a controlled substance.
Federal officials also charged Rene Villarreal-Carmona, another Mexican national who allegedly had prior drug convictions and had previously been removed from the United States. Authorities said law enforcement later encountered him near Escobares.
If convicted on the federal reentry charges, all three men could face prison sentences of up to 20 years.
Repeat DUI Offender Sentenced In Houston
In addition to the newly filed criminal cases, federal prosecutors also announced the sentencing of Jose Alejandro Luna-Rangel, a Mexican national described by authorities as a repeat DUI offender.
Officials said Luna-Rangel had previously been deported from the United States in July 2016 after a conviction involving driving under the influence while a child was inside the vehicle.
According to prosecutors, he later returned illegally and accumulated additional convictions, including assault-family violence and felony driving while intoxicated tied to a third DUI offense.
A federal judge in Houston sentenced Luna-Rangel to 40 months in prison for illegal reentry after prior removal.
Federal officials said the large-scale enforcement effort relied on cooperation among multiple agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Enforcement and Removal Operations, United States Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, alongside state and local law enforcement agencies.
The prosecutions are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative led by the United States Department of Justice that focuses on immigration enforcement, targeting transnational criminal organizations, and reducing violent crime.
Federal prosecutors emphasized that border security and public safety remain top priorities for the Southern District of Texas, one of the busiest federal districts in the nation. The district covers 43 counties, more than 10 million residents, and approximately 44,000 square miles, with prosecutors across offices in Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen, and Laredo coordinating with law enforcement partners to pursue federal criminal cases.
