The Western District of Texas has seen a surge in immigration cases this past week, with federal prosecutors filing over 250 new matters concerning immigration and related criminal activities. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the deluge of legal action spanned from March 21 to last Thursday, earmarking an intensified crackdown spearheaded by Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman.
In the rundown of cases, an instance made headlines when Noe Mardoquero Calel-Cabinal, a Guatemalan national, was arrested near Dilley on Highway 85, which is known for trafficking undocumented migrants deeper into U.S. territory; during the stop, Calel-Cabinal's lack of proper documentation and an inconsistent account of his travels led to a confession—obtained by law enforcement—that he was to transport four illegal aliens to San Antonio in exchange for $1,300 per head, a detail allegedly corroborated by his cell phone review. Meanwhile, in El Paso, a Mexican national, Luis Francisco Alarcon-Sanchez, made false claims of U.S. citizenship at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry and revealed his affiliation with the Paisas Gang upon being recognized as previously deported. Jesus Barraza-Frias, another Mexican national with a history of removals and convictions, was apprehended close to the same port without legal immigration documents.
The U.S Attorney's Office also cited arrests in Del Rio and near Eagle Pass, including Honduran nationals Carlos Alejandro Varela-Avila, charged with re-entry after deportation, and Alba Jeannet Medina-Chavez, whose repeat deportations are matched by a criminal record encompassing violent offenses. An American, Amir Hassan Riley, was arrested for allegedly conspiring to transport illegal aliens within the United States after Border Patrol agents inspected his vehicle and later linked him to additional migrants at a local motel.
The involvement of various federal agencies like Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), among others, alongside state and local law enforcement support in these cases underscores a collective effort to enforce immigration law within the 68 counties of the Western District of Texas which the U.S. Attorney’s Office oversees this expansive jurisdiction, roughly 93,000 square miles, stretching along 660 miles of border with Mexico and including major cities San Antonio, Austin, and El Paso.
Operation Take Back America underpins these prosecutorial efforts, pointedly described by the U.S. Attorney's Office as an initiative 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."
