The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas reported that 356 people were charged with immigration and related offenses along the South Texas border in the last week of August. Among them, 180 were charged with re-entering the country after removal, 153 with entering illegally for the first time, 13 with human smuggling, and 10 with other crimes including firearms violations and assaulting federal officers, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Federal authorities announced results from "Operation Pick-Off," an initiative launched on Monday targeting individuals living in the U.S. illegally while on probation. Officials said 67 people in the Rio Grande Valley now face federal charges. Allegations state that 65 of them had previously been removed from the country but returned and committed additional crimes, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Under "Operation Take Back America," the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas announced charges against several individuals for illegal reentry. Those charged include Mexican nationals Jairo Neftali Velasco-Gomez and Luis Alberto Mejia-Bertrand, both previously deported after convictions for serious crimes, as well as Edgar Omar Gallegos-Aboytes, Monico Espinoza-Martinez, and Honduran national Jose Alberto Medina-Atunez, who also have prior drug or reentry offenses. The operation involves coordination between ICE, Homeland Security Investigations, the Border Patrol, and local law enforcement agencies.
