Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas stacked up 187 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases between Feb. 27 and March 5, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The week’s haul includes a heavy mix of illegal reentry charges plus several human-smuggling complaints, many involving defendants with prior convictions. The filings span the entire district, which covers San Antonio, Austin and El Paso, and are backed by multiple federal law enforcement agencies.
Among the defendants named in the latest filings are Mexican national Erick Eduardo Carillo-Fierro, who prosecutors say was first deported Feb. 6 and previously convicted in a 2009 carjacking case and later for manufacturing a weapon in prison, and Jorge Salinas-Cabrera, who officials say was most recently deported on Aug. 16, 2025. Also on the list: Oscar Enrique Ramos-Tepas, Luis Fidel Leos-Angel, Freyman Mejia-Vasquez and Miguel Angel Torres-Rueda, many of them accused of coming back after prior DWIs, assaults or multiple removals, according to MyTexasDaily.
Part of a wider DOJ push
The district said the filings are part of Operation Take Back America, a Justice Department initiative that, in the office’s words, “marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration.” The program has been used to prioritize repeat offenders and people with serious criminal histories in border districts, and federal partners such as ICE, U.S. Border Patrol and the U.S. Marshals Service supported the week’s actions. The U.S. Attorney’s Office made the announcement on March 9.
Courts and defenders say dockets are strained
Hoodline previously flagged similarly packed filing weeks in January, and local defenders say these recurring surges are stretching public defense resources and jamming court calendars. Reporting by The Texas Tribune with ProPublica has documented a sharp rise in habeas petitions in Texas federal courts this winter, a parallel squeeze that lawyers say complicates both criminal prosecutions and immigration litigation.
What the charges mean
Many of the new counts center on illegal reentry under federal law, codified at 8 U.S.C. § 1326. Penalties under that statute depend on a person’s record and prior removals, ranging from a maximum of two years in straightforward cases to significantly higher caps for repeat offenders or those with aggravated-felony histories. For the statute’s text and sentencing structure, see 8 U.S.C. § 1326. As always, indictments and complaints are only allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until convicted in federal court.
Federal court dockets will show when the newly charged defendants are arraigned and when prosecutors seek detention or push for trial, and judges will determine how fast each case moves. We will keep an eye on weekly filings in the Western District to see whether this early-March spike eases up or becomes the new normal for spring.
