U.S. Attorneys for Southwestern Border Districts Charge More than 900 Illegal Aliens with Immigration-Related Crimes During the First week in April as part of Operation Take Back America.

Since the inauguration of President Trump, the Department of Justice is playing a critical role in Operation Take back America, a nationwide initiative to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Last week, the U.S. Attorneys for Arizona, Central California, Southern California, New Mexico, Southern Texas, and Western Texas charged more than 900 defendants with criminal violations of U.S. immigration laws.

The Southern District of Texas filed 225 cases in relation to immigration and border security. Of those cases, 70 face allegations of illegally reentering the country with the majority having felony convictions such as narcotics, violent and/or sexual crimes and prior immigration offenses, among others. A total of 144 people face charges of illegally entering the country, nine cases involve various instances of human smuggling with others relating to firearms and assault of a federal officer.

The Western District of Texas filed 259 immigration and immigration-related criminal cases.  Among the new cases, Mexican national Miguel Angel Torres-Segura resided illegally in San Antonio and was arrested March 28 for conspiracy to transport illegal aliens. A criminal complaint alleges that Torres-Segura participated in a human smuggling organization (HSO) that transported illegal aliens using tractor trailers, carrying out at least 19 human smuggling events and leading to the apprehension of more than 900 aliens between May 2021 and June 2022. Torres-Segura allegedly communicated with high-level leaders and organizers and assisted the HSO by transporting aliens and preparing tractor trailers for transport. Torres-Segura has multiple convictions, including two illegal entries in 2009 and 2010 and an illegal re-entry in 2011. He was convicted again for illegal re-entry on March 26 following an October 2024 arrest and has now been charged with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens.

The District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 204 defendants. Specifically, the United States filed 83 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 107 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States also filed 13 cases against 14 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. Among those convicted was Ivan Mauricio Hernandez-Mosqueda, a Mexican national, who was sentenced to 46 months in prison after smuggling more 100 illegal aliens to the United States. Many of the illegal aliens were coached by Hernandez-Mosqueda to illegally enter the United States and claim asylum under false pretenses.

The Southern District of California filed 97 border-related cases last week, including charges of transportation of illegal aliens, bringing in aliens for financial gain, receipt of bribes by public official, reentering the U.S. after deportation, deported alien found in the United States, and importation of controlled substances. Among those charged was Francisco Anguiano Rios, a Mexican national, who was arrested and charged with importation of a controlled substance after Customs and Border Protection officers found 209 packages containing 547 pounds of cocaine concealed in the fuel tank of the tractor trailer Rios was driving as it attempted to cross the border at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.

The Central District of California filed criminal charges against 24 defendants who allegedly were found in the U.S. following removal, the Justice Department announced today. Among these defendants included criminals who previously were convicted of felonies prior to their removal from the United States, including one previously convicted of narcotics crimes involving methamphetamine and cocaine. The crime of being found in the United States following removal carries a base sentence of up to two years in federal prison. Defendants who were removed after being convicted of a felony face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and defendants removed after being convicted of an aggravated felony face a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.

The District of New Mexico brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico: 56 individuals were charged with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326), 11 individuals were charged with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324), and 32 individuals were charged with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325). Many of the defendants charged pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1326 had prior criminal convictions, with some of those convictions being for aggravated felonies, including convictions for solicitation of a child to engage in sexual conduct, leaving the scene of an accident with fatality, and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

We are grateful for the hard work of our border prosecutors in bringing these cases and helping to make our border safe again.