Reported / Citable
HOUSTON – Another 204 people, including 182 illegal aliens have been charged with immigration-and border security-related crimes from Oct. 9-15.
A total of 161 criminal complaints were filed for felony reentry after prior removal, while another 16 people face charges of illegal entry. Most of those illegal aliens have prior felonies such as narcotics, violent crime, immigration crimes, and more. In addition, 22 people have been charged with human smuggling which includes six illegal aliens themselves. The remaining four cases charged this week relate to other immigration crimes and firearms charges.
One of those charged is Enrique Roel Pena-Soto, a Mexican national whom law enforcement allegedly discovered unlawfully in the McAllen area despite his Aug. 22, 2022, removal. According to the criminal complaint, he has a prior conviction for carjacking and possession with the intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana. If convicted of illegal reentry, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
In addition to the new cases, a Needville resident was sentenced in Corpus Christi to 21 months in federal prison for transporting 10 illegal aliens concealed in a tractor-trailer. Robert Martinez Jr. approached the Border Patrol checkpoint near Sarita, where authorities discovered the illegal aliens hidden in the truck’s sleeping compartments. Two were trapped beneath four others and unable to escape. In imposing the sentence, the court noted the dangerous conditions and Martinez’s prior felony drug convictions.
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.