Reported / Citable
SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 271 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from July 31 through August 6, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against alien smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for numerous DWIs, violent crimes, thefts, and multiple prior removals.
Among the new cases, illegal alien from Mexico Karla Yaslin Montes-Esparza is charged with bringing in and harboring aliens. According to a criminal complaint, U.S. Border Patrol agents requested and received consent to view, search and utilize the cellphones of two arrested illegal aliens on July 23. The agents allegedly discovered the aliens had jointly paid a smuggler in Juarez, Mexico, $1,500 for their illegal passage into the United States. USBP agents allege the smuggler was linked to Montes-Esparza, who then attempted to gain entry into the U.S. via the Ysleta Port of Entry on July 31. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers determined that Montes-Esparza allegedly received $1,500 for aiding in the smuggling of two illegal aliens on July 23. Additionally, CBP officers determined Montes-Esparza had allegedly assisted with the illegal entry, transportation, and furtherance of approximately 100 illegal aliens, from which she received approximately $83,174. The criminal complaint alleges Montes-Esparza’s cellphone revealed multiple images and videos of proof of transportation and furtherance of several illegal aliens.
Ricardo Gonzalez-Aguirre aka Antonio Ybarra-Rodriguez aka Francisco Carranza-Salas, an illegal alien from Mexico, is charged with illegal re-entry. A criminal complaint alleges Gonzalez-Aguirre approached the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry on Aug. 2 and claimed to be a U.S. citizen born in Cameron. Gonzalez-Aguirre allegedly stated he was in the process of obtaining a new state identification card and therefore did not have documents. The complaint alleges Gonzalez-Aguirre provided the CBP officer with his name, date of birth and age, but the age did not correlate to the date of birth. Further inspection revealed that Gonzalez-Aguirre was an illegal alien previously removed from the U.S. for the third time in June 2024. His criminal record includes convictions for domestic violence and disorderly conduct, as well as burglary and grand larceny.
Illegal alien from Ecuador Gen Santiago Aguirre-Zapata was arrested by USBP near Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. He’s been deported only once, in October 2021, but has been previously convicted of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of stolen property exceeding $1,000 in value, forcible theft armed with a deadly weapon, murder with intent, and second-degree assault with intent to cause physical injury.
USBP agents also arrested Jose Luis Amador-Bonilla , an illegal alien from Guatemala, near Eagle Pass. Amador-Bonilla was deported for the fifth time in September 2025. He’s been twice convicted of illegal re-entry, as well as forgery, interference with a law enforcement officer and a DUI.
Arturo Vasquez De La Sancha , an illegal alien from Mexico, was found in the Travis County Jail and transferred into ICE custody. Vasquez De La Sancha was removed for the third time in July 2022. He was convicted of his third DWI in 2021 and had his temporary supervised release revoked in 2022. Vasquez De La Sancha has also been previously convicted of deadly conduct, discharge of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance. He’s now charged with his second illegal re-entry offense.
Roberto Quintanilla , also an illegal alien from Mexico, was found in Travis County and charged with illegal re-entry as well. Like Vasquez De La Sancha, Quintanilla has three DWI convictions on his criminal record. He has also been previously convicted of improper entry by an alien and illegal re-entry. He’s been removed from the United States three times.
Illegal alien from Mexico Jose Martin Velasquez-Monsivais was transferred into ICE custody from the Blanco County Jail and charged with illegal re-entry. Velasquez-Monsivais has previously been convicted of alien smuggling, escape while arrested/confined, and prohibited substance/item in a correctional or civil commitment facility. He was previously deported from the U.S. in 2020.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.
These 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Western District of Texas — U.S. Department of Justice press release.