The U.S. Southern District Attorney's Office filed 352 cases against 356 individuals for immigration-related offenses between August 29 and September 4. A press release from U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei's office stated that the charges include human smuggling, illegal entry, and felony reentry after prior removal, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Authorities announced enforcement actions involving foreign nationals with prior convictions for narcotics, violent crimes, and sexual offenses. Three Guatemalan nationals were extradited in connection with a 2021 tractor-trailer incident in Chiapas, Mexico, that killed more than 50 people and injured over 100 others, “including unaccompanied children.” Mexican national Jesus Gabriel De Lira-Villapando was charged with assaulting a Border Patrol agent during an attempted arrest on Tuesday, an incident that ended in a foot chase and could result in up to eight years in prison. Four other foreign nationals were also arrested for attempting to reenter the U.S. after earlier removals, with prior convictions that include drug possession and evading arrest, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Two Mexican nationals, Pedro Sandoval and Leobardo Reyes-Gonzalez, have been charged with felony illegal reentry shortly after their deportations. Juan Antonio Ruiz-Gutierrez, who was previously removed in 2013 and has a conviction for indecency with a child, was also charged after being found near Penitas. In a separate case, Daniel Antonio Varcenas-Aguilar, with a prior aggravated assault of a child conviction, pleaded guilty to illegal reentry and is scheduled for sentencing in November. Each faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, an enforcement effort by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas with support from federal, state, and local agencies.
