Federal authorities in the Southern District of Texas charged 247 defendants with immigration and border security-related offenses during the final week of July, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
From July 25-31, a total of 245 cases were filed as part of Operation Take Back America. Among these, 21 individuals were charged with human smuggling, 119 with illegal entry into the United States, and another 107 with felony reentry after prior removal. Most defendants reportedly have previous felony convictions for crimes such as narcotics offenses, violent crime, and other immigration violations.
Court documents state that four Mexican nationals facing new illegal reentry charges had previously been removed from the country after felony convictions. Juan Carlos De Alejandro-Rosales was convicted for possessing more than 50 pounds but less than 2,000 pounds of marijuana before his removal on October 22, 2018.
Mario Alberto Almazan-Mata, Bertoldo Lopez-Varillas, and Luciano Martinez-Rios also face illegal reentry charges. Authorities allege their prior convictions include possession of a controlled substance, evading arrest, and multiple counts of driving while intoxicated. Despite being removed from the United States between 2005 and 2025, all four men were recently found in the McAllen area without legal authorization. If convicted, each faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
Jose Santos Diaz-Valenzuela, a Honduran national previously convicted for assaulting a federal officer and removed on December 4, 2018, was allegedly encountered again near La Grulla. He also faces up to 20 years if convicted.
Authorities further allege Hugo Armando Esquivel-Castro and Jose Armando Wong-Lopez illegally reentered after being removed in recent years following convictions for harboring illegal aliens; both were arrested near Mission this week.
In addition to new charges filed last week, Jonathan Ray Balderas of San Antonio received a sentence in Laredo: “41 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for attempting to smuggle 10 illegal aliens.” According to officials: “Authorities stopped his truck near the 29-mile marker checkpoint on Interstate 35 and found eight individuals hidden under a tarp in the bed and two more inside. The court cited the risk of serious harm, a loaded pistol on Balderas’s waistband, and his alleged involvement in other smuggling events as factors in the sentence.”
A separate case resulted in over three years’ imprisonment for Rafael Cortez-Gonzalez of San Luis Potosí: “Rafael Cortez-Gonzalez…had two previous felony convictions for illegal reentry…He was first removed from the United States in November 2000 and subsequently illegally returned three times. Authorities encountered him again on Feb. 12, 2025…In handing down the 39-month sentence…the court noted the punishment was intended to serve to deter him from continuing to commit these crimes.”
Federal law enforcement agencies including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - Homeland Security Investigations; ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations; United States Border Patrol; Drug Enforcement Administration; FBI; U.S. Marshals Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; along with state and local partners supported these cases.
Operation Take Back America is described as “a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration” by targeting cartels and transnational criminal organizations through coordinated efforts such as those led by Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
The Southern District prioritizes public safety through enhanced enforcement at both border areas and within its jurisdiction—efforts which have resulted in apprehensions involving unlawful activity or individuals with serious criminal histories including human trafficking or violent offenses against children.
Covering over nine million people across forty-three counties—including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo—the district remains among the busiest nationwide due to its scope.
As noted: “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.”
