First week of February sees another 365 people charged in border security-related matters in the Southern District of Texas

HOUSTON - A total of 363 cases have been filed related to immigration-related crimes from Jan. 30-Feb. 5, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

A total of 220 people have been charged with felony reentry after removal, and another 116 face allegations of illegal entry. Most have felony convictions for narcotics, violent crime, various immigration offenses and more. The filed cases also include 23 individuals accused of human smuggling, while the remaining six matters are related to other immigration crimes.

One of those charged is Honduran national Nixon Ariel Villalobos-Quijada. The criminal complaint alleges he attempted to unlawfully reenter the United States within six months of his most recent removal. He was previously removed Aug. 17, 2025, according to the complaint. The charges allege Villalobos-Quijada has a prior conviction for tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. Authorities allegedly discovered him again near Roma without any legal authorization.

Additional complaints allege two previous felons had also illegally reentered the country. Mexican nationals Alvaro Zavala-Valdez and Ricardo Enede Rodriguez-Alvarez had both been previously removed Aug. 7, 2013, and May 10, 2022, according to their respective charges. However, both were allegedly found in the McAllen area this week. According to court documents, Zavala-Valdez has a previous conviction for illegal reentry, while Rodriguez-Alvarez was sentenced for transportation/harboring illegal aliens.

If convicted, all three men face up to 20 years in federal prison.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The 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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. 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 U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.

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.