In Houston, the Southern District of Texas has announced the filing of 210 cases related to immigration and border security from July 11-17. This effort is part of Operation Take Back America, as stated by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
The charges include 14 cases of human smuggling, with 101 individuals accused of illegal entry into the country and 89 facing felony reentry charges after prior removal. Many defendants have previous convictions for crimes such as narcotics offenses, violent crime, sexual assaults, and other immigration-related offenses.
Among those charged are four men found in the Rio Grande Valley area after previous removals this year. Humberto Alvarez-Chio, Irvin Gonzalez-Silva, Miguel Angel Reyes-Garcia, and Juan Cruz-Montiel face allegations including illegal reentry and other serious offenses. They could face up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted.
In McAllen, Jose Rodriguez Jr., a Lyford resident, was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). His arrest stemmed from an alien transporting event that led to the discovery of over 250 images and videos on his phone. Rodriguez's history includes aggravated sexual assault of a child and human smuggling.
Ganjei commented on Rodriguez's sentencing: “Those who sexually assault children, possess child sexual abuse material, or smuggle human beings like some sort of commodity are all imbued with a common trait: total disdain for the inherent value and dignity of a human being."
Euclides Vasquez-Hernandez admitted to illegally reentering the United States during his trial in Corpus Christi. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison following his admission.
A Laredo jury convicted Sharon Thompkins from South Carolina for transporting illegal aliens in a blue tractor trailer at a Border Patrol checkpoint near Laredo. She faces up to five years in federal prison.
Carlos Alberto Salinas received a ten-year sentence for attempting to pick up illegal aliens and marijuana from the Rio Grande River. The court increased his sentence due to his involvement in smuggling over 75 aliens.
Brownsville residents Ofelia Christine Monares and Michael Rosa were sentenced for smuggling three Vietnamese nationals in a vehicle trunk. They received sentences of 40 and 25 months respectively.
Arnulfo Olivares-Cervantes was sentenced for illegally reentering the United States for a fourth time. He has multiple felony convictions including attempted murder and narcotics trafficking.
These cases were supported by various federal law enforcement agencies including ICE - Homeland Security Investigations, BP, DEA, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service among others.
Operation Take Back America aims to address illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations through coordinated efforts involving the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest nationwide covering an extensive jurisdiction across seven divisions including Houston and Laredo among others.
It is important to note that an indictment or criminal complaint is not evidence but rather an accusation; defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty through due process.
