In a significant legal maneuver, the Western District of Texas reported a surge in immigration-related criminal cases over a brief four-day period. According to a press release from the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas, federal prosecutors filed a total of 215 immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Monday through Thursday. These charges ranged from illegal reentry after deportation to other serious felonies.
Among the high-profile cases were several individuals detained in Austin, now charged with illegal reentry after deportation. The list includes Ricardo Hernandez-Hernandez, previously deported twice and convicted of indecency with a child and failure to register as a sex offender; Andres Garcia-Saldana, deported four times with convictions including intoxication assault and multiple DWI charges—to categorically argue, his third DWI conviction was a felony; Hernan Vasquez-Medina, thrice deported with convictions for making terroristic threats and DWI (his third DWI also a felony); and Jaime Ricardo Lopez-Rojas, deported eight times and with a litany of prior convictions.
The Midland-Odessa area also saw charges brought against individuals with prior federal convictions now facing illegal entry after deportation charges. As detailed in the press release, Saul Villalobos-Vasquez, previously removed once from the U.S. and convicted for unauthorized use of a social security number, was among those charged. Additionally, Daniel Olivas-Nieto, also a Mexican national, is facing charges once again after a prior conviction for illegal transportation of aliens for financial gain.
Federal law enforcement bodies collaborated to refer and support these cases, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, and other agencies. These cases contribute to "Operation Take Back America," described as 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," according to the United States Attorney's Office.
The impact of these cases is significant given the Western District of Texas's jurisdiction, which spans 68 counties, three major Texas cities, nearly 93,000 square miles, and shares a 660-mile border with Mexico. All defendants named in these cases are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law, a fundamental tenet of the U.S. justice system stated in the press release by the United States Attorney's Office.
