A total of 318 new cases related to immigration and border security were filed in the Southern District of Texas between January 9 and January 15, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Of those charged, 113 individuals face illegal entry charges, while another 180 are accused of felony reentry after removal. Many have prior felony convictions for offenses such as narcotics violations, violent crimes, and previous immigration-related offenses. Twenty-four people have been charged with human smuggling, and two others face other immigration crime charges.
Mexican nationals Carlos Ricardo Lucio-Lucio and Fernando Soto-Guerrero are among those charged this week. Criminal complaints allege both attempted to unlawfully reenter the United States within six months of their most recent removals—August 1, 2025 for Lucio-Lucio and December 29, 2025 for Soto-Guerrero. Both reportedly have prior felony convictions for transporting and harboring illegal aliens. According to court documents, law enforcement found both men in the United States without legal authorization.
Another case involves Maclovio Esparza-Salas, a Mexican national allegedly discovered near Roma without lawful status. He was previously removed on October 11, 2024 and has a conviction for possession of a weapon.
If convicted on felony illegal reentry after removal charges, these individuals could face up to twenty years in prison.
The office also reported sentencing outcomes from recently concluded cases. Honduran national Jose Castro Orellana received a federal prison sentence of fifty-four months for illegally reentering the country; he has prior convictions including domestic violence and evading arrest and was first removed in 2012 before returning twice more illegally. In addition, Gabriel Rodriguez-Martinez received sixty months in federal prison while Jose de Jesus Galicia-Castillo was sentenced to forty-one months; both Mexican nationals had previous felony convictions related to illegal reentry.
Federal law enforcement agencies involved in these cases include Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), along with support from state and local partners.
These prosecutions fall under Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative that uses Department of Justice resources against illegal immigration as well as criminal organizations connected to cross-border crime.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office noted its focus on public safety and border security remains central under current leadership. The district covers forty-three counties across more than nine million residents over forty-four thousand square miles; Assistant U.S. Attorneys work out of seven divisions: Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo.
"An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence," the office stated. "A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law."
