A Guatemalan national has entered a guilty plea in Waco to charges related to immigration violations. According to a statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas, Pablo David Cajti-Tzoy admitted to not updating his address and failing to carry his alien registration documentation as required.
Cajti-Tzoy was arrested on June 21 in Temple after an encounter with the ICE Waco Fugitive Operations Team. He initially arrived in the U.S. on a Temporary Agricultural Worker visa in October 2019, with a permit to stay until January 3, 2020. Despite having moved to a new address in Harker Heights, Texas, since December 30, 2021, he had not reported his change of address to the authorities, nor was he in possession of the required immigration documents when approached by ICE officials.
While these charges are considered misdemeanors, they typically can carry penalties of up to 30 days in federal prison. Nevertheless, U.S. Magistrate Judge Derek T. Gilliland sentenced Cajti-Tzoy to time served, effectively concluding his legal ordeal on this matter. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America, a sweeping government initiative aiming to combat illegal immigration and dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations. "Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN)," according to the official statement from the Department of Justice. The initiative is portrayed as a strategic approach to enhance national security and safeguard communities from various criminal elements.
