Another week of border enforcement results in 461 people charged

HOUSTON - A total of 459 cases have been filed in immigration and related matters from March 6-12, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

The Southern District filed 193 criminal complaints for illegal entry, while another 235 people face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felony convictions, including narcotics offenses, violent crimes, and immigration-related offenses. The cases also include charges against 26 people allegedly involved in human smuggling. The remaining seven cases filed this week involve other immigration crimes..

Among the new cases are three men from distinct countries, all charged with felony reentry after removal.

Authorities allegedly found El Salvadoran national Josue Alberto Villalobos-Bonilla and Honduran national Brayan Arman Hernandez-Mendez near La Grulla without legal authorization to be in the United States. According to the criminal complaints, both had previously been removed July 25 and July 26, 2025, respectively. Villalobos-Bonilla has a prior conviction for sexual solicitation of a minor, while Hernandez-Mendez has prior convictions for illegal reentry and evading arrest.

Law enforcement also allegedly discovered Mexican national Juan Barrientos-Soto near San Juan after he had been removed Dec. 24, 2025. Court records reflect prior convictions for illegal reentry, theft of property and assault.

Another defendant charged in a separate case is Mexican national Jordan Velasco-Martinez. The criminal complaint alleges he attempted to unlawfully reenter the United States within two months of his most recent removal. According to the complaint, authorities removed him Feb. 1. The charges also allege Velasco-Martinez has prior convictions for felony driving while intoxicated and illegal reentry. Law enforcement allegedly discovered him near Roma without legal authorization to be in the United States.

All face up to 20 years in prison, if convicted.

In addition to the new cases, in Corpus Christi the ringleader of a human smuggling organization received a 36-month federal prison sentence. From October 2024 to May 2025, Hugo Jimenez Jr. oversaw numerous alien smuggling operations throughout South Texas. He conspired with others to transport illegal aliens further into the United States and recruited local drivers to conceal them in vehicle cargo areas areas to circumvent Border Patrol checkpoints. Jimenez also scouted checkpoints in advance and coordinated rendezvous points north of inspection sites. At times, he personally transported the illegal aliens to San Antonio and Houston.

Several others also received federal prison sentences in Houston for illegal reentry, including Mexican nationals Edgar Jaramillo-Escobar, Jose Guadalupe Mendoza-Cabrera and Faustino Rosales-Hernandez. Each has prior felony convictions including illegal reentry, driving under the influence of alcohol, family violence assault and assault causing bodily injury.

Mexican national Jose Mario Cervantes-Luna was also ordered to federal prison for illegally reentering the country. He has prior convictions for illegal reentry, driving while intoxicated and sexual assault of a minor. Authorities previously removed him in 2004, 2011 and three times in 2012.

In another case, Sergio Benavides-Melgar pleaded guilty to illegal reentry after law enforcement discovered him illegally present in the United States after being removed. According to court records, he has prior convictions for illegal reentry as well as aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child.

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.