A Mexican national residing illegally in Tyler, Texas, has been charged with a federal offense in the Eastern District of Texas. The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Luis Donaldo Villanueva-Tapia, 30, faces charges from an indictment issued by a federal grand jury this week. He is accused of being an illegal alien found in possession of a firearm.
According to the indictment, on July 8, 2025, Villanueva-Tapia was discovered illegally in the United States while possessing a firearm.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America. The initiative aims to utilize the full resources of the Department of Justice to combat illegal immigration and eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), thereby protecting communities from violent crime. The operation consolidates efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
If convicted, Villanueva-Tapia could face up to 15 years in federal prison followed by deportation.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Homeland Security Investigations; and the Tyler Police Department are investigating this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Farahnak is prosecuting it.
It should be noted that a federal indictment does not constitute evidence of guilt as all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
