Reported / Citable
HOUSTON – The Southern District of Texas has charged another 263 people, including 227 illegal aliens, for immigration and border security-related crimes from July 24-30.
The cases include charges against 45 people, 16 of whom are illegal aliens themselves, allegedly involved in human smuggling. A total of 30 criminal complaints were filed for illegal entry, while another 181 illegal aliens face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felonies involving narcotics, violent crime, immigration offenses, and more. The remaining cases relate to other immigration crimes and firearms charges.
One illegal alien charged with felony reentry is Javier Vega-Maldonado, a Mexican national that authorities allegedly discovered unlawfully in the country near Escobares, despite having been removed Dec. 17, 2021. The criminal complaint alleges he has a prior conviction for possession with intent to distribute. If convicted of illegal reentry, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
In addition to the new cases, a previously removed illegal alien with a felony criminal history was sent to federal prison for his ninth unlawful reentry into the United States. Honduran national Luis Alonso Umana has convictions for illegal reentry, driving under the influence of alcohol, assault family violence, and assault family violence with previous conviction. He was ordered to serve 46 months in federal prison. As an illegal alien, he is again expected to be removed from the country following his imprisonment.
The cases are referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, as well as the 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 immigrants, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the Southern 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 histories, including convictions for 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 10 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.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Southern District of Texas — U.S. Department of Justice press release.