Federal authorities in the Southern District of Texas have filed 316 cases related to immigration and border security offenses from November 28 to December 4, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Of those charged, 84 people face accusations of illegal entry into the United States, while 204 individuals are charged with felony reentry after removal. Many of those charged have previous convictions involving narcotics, violent crime, and other immigration-related offenses. The cases also include 28 people accused of human smuggling, as well as two additional charges for firearms offenses and other immigration crimes.
According to criminal complaints, three Mexican nationals—Jesus Hernandez-Gomez, Jose Martinez-Arrevalo, and Ascencion Avellaneda-Rodriguez—are alleged to have attempted unlawful reentry within five months of their most recent removals. All three reportedly have prior felony convictions for illegal reentry and were found in the United States without legal authorization.
Other complaints allege that several previously convicted felons had also illegally returned to the country. Mexican nationals Diana Aurora Bueno-Zuniga and Julio Guerra-Silva were both previously removed on multiple occasions between 2007 and 2019 but were recently found in the McAllen area. Bueno-Zuniga has a prior conviction for harboring an alien for financial gain, while Guerra-Silva was sentenced for possession with intent to distribute nearly 20 kilograms of marijuana.
If convicted, those charged could face up to 20 years in federal prison.
This week also saw the conviction of Carlos Alberto Garcia-Guajardo on all twelve counts against him. A Laredo federal jury found that he sold cocaine and multiple firearms—including machine guns—during a month-long undercover investigation. Garcia-Guajardo and Fernando Patino used these sales to negotiate future deals; they not only sold firearms but also fired them indiscriminately in their neighborhood. Authorities executing a search warrant discovered scales, cash in various denominations, multiple firearms, and crack cocaine stored near items belonging to young children. Garcia-Guajardo had been removed from the country twice before his arrest; he now faces a potential life sentence.
In Brownsville, Alejandro Ramirez-Carranza received a five-year federal prison sentence for transporting and bringing an alien into the United States, illegal reentry, and being an alien in possession of a firearm. Surveillance near the Rio Grande led authorities to observe Ramirez-Carranza acting as a river guide as he helped transport individuals across by boat; relatives paid for this smuggling activity.
In another case from McAllen, Mario Alberto Almanzan-Mata was sentenced to six years in prison after illegally reentering the United States for a third time following his most recent removal on May 27. He was located again on July 7 in Mission; during sentencing hearings it was noted that his actions posed significant danger to community members.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office reported that these prosecutions involved cooperation with federal law enforcement agencies such as 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 & Explosives (ATF), along with state and local law enforcement partners.
These cases fall under Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative utilizing Department of Justice resources aimed at countering illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators.
“Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district,” stated officials in connection with these efforts. “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 Southern District of Texas is one of the busiest U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide; it covers more than nine million people across forty-three counties spanning forty-four thousand square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys based in Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen,and Laredo work alongside law enforcement at all levels prosecuting suspected offenders.
Officials emphasized: “An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct not evidence.” They added: “A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.”
