Federal Prosecutors Add Nearly 300 New Immigration Cases in Western District of Texas

SAN ANTONIO - Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 297 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from May 29 to June 4, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for numerous DWIs, violent crimes and unlawful carrying of weapons, thefts, sex crimes, and multiple prior removals.

In Austin, illegal alien Hilario Benitez-Mondragon was charged with illegal re-entry after being found in the Travis County Jail. According to publicly available Travis County court records, in May, he was convicted of second-degree felony sexual assault and sentenced to 10 years deferred adjudication in Travis County's 299th District Court. He was previously removed from the U.S. to Mexico in 2014.

Of the nearly 300 new cases, 172 were filed in Del Rio, including an illegal re-entry charge against Neptaly Reyes-Reyes, an illegal alien from Honduras. U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended Reyes-Reyes near Eagle Pass and discovered that he has been previously deported three times, the last being on March 14, 2025, through Louisiana. Reyes-Reyes is a convicted felon with a criminal record that includes multiple petit theft convictions, third degree grand theft, illegal re-entry, and cocaine possession.

Miyagui Maclen Aleman Herrera, also an illegal alien from Honduras, was arrested near Eagle Pass on May 30 after being deported for the third time on Feb. 25. Aleman Herrera was previously convicted of indecency with a child by exposure and sentenced in Harris County to two years in prison.

An illegal alien from Nicaragua was also arrested by USBP agents near Eagle Pass. Jimmy Jose Mena-Aleman has been convicted of multiple felonies in Miami, Florida, including carrying a concealed weapon robbery, burglary of a motor vehicle/grand theft, and aggravated battery. He was deported for the second time on Sept. 5, 2024.

In San Antonio, Adolfo Lopez-Alcaraz aka Adolfo Lopez was encountered at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center following his arrest for unlawful carrying of a weapon. Lopez was convicted on May 29 and subsequently transferred to ICE custody on June 1. Lopez now faces a federal charge of illegal re-entry. He was previously removed from the U.S. in November 2019.

Illegal alien from Mexico, Jorge Jesus Cuellar-Ortiz, was charged in El Paso with fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents after he allegedly presented a Texas driver's license bearing the personal information and photo of another person at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry. A criminal complaint alleges Cuellar-Ortiz told the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer that he was an El Paso-born U.S. citizen who was traveling to work construction after visiting family in Mexico. According to the complaint, further inspection resulted in Cuellar-Ortiz admitting his true identity as a Mexican national. The complaint also alleges he had previously lived illegally in the U.S. for 21 years. Cuellar-Ortiz's criminal record contains two DWI convictions.

Florentino Soto-Esquivel aka Florentino Escobar, an illegal alien from Mexico, was charged with illegal re-entry in Austin. Soto-Esquivel has been removed from the U.S. only one time, but has been previously convicted of assault and four DWIs.

In Austin, illegal alien Hilario Benitez-Mondragon was charged with illegal re-entry after being found in the Travis County Jail. According to publicly available Travis County court records, in May 2026, he was convicted of second-degree felony sexual assault and sentenced to 10 years deferred adjudication in Travis County's 299^th District Court. He was previously removed from the U.S. in 2014.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas-San Antonio, Austin and El Paso-and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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