Federal prosecutors in Houston have logged yet another heavy week of border-related prosecutions, filing 263 new immigration and border-security cases across South Texas. According to officials, 223 of the defendants were allegedly in the country unlawfully, with 56 accused of illegal entry and 167 accused of illegal reentry, and 29 others now facing human-smuggling charges. The new matters, which span cases opened June 19–25 in the Southern District of Texas, include several defendants who already have violent or drug convictions on their records.
The case count surfaced Friday via a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas and a post from the office’s account USAO SDTX on X. Prosecutors highlighted two examples from the latest sweep: Mexican national Rosendo Castelan-Reyes, previously convicted of aggravated assault and later found near La Grulla, and Cuban national Angel Javier Cabrera-Rivero, who was removed from the United States in December 2025 after a drug-trafficking conviction and was located near Cuevitas. The Justice Department notes that felony reentry and certain smuggling counts can be punished by lengthy federal prison terms if convictions follow.
What Operation Take Back America Is
Operation Take Back America is a Department of Justice effort that concentrates federal muscle on border enforcement, cartel-linked activity, and related violent-crime priorities. As described in a memorandum from the Department of Justice, the initiative steers task-force coordination and charging decisions across multiple U.S. Attorney’s Offices, including the Southern District of Texas.
Who Investigated And Where Cases Were Filed
The U.S. Attorney's Office reports that the latest complaints were generated or supported by partners that include ICE Homeland Security Investigations, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Prosecutors from all seven SDTX divisions — Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo — handled filings tied to last week’s activity, according to the federal office.
Charges And Potential Penalties
Illegal-reentry prosecutions are brought under 8 U.S.C. § 1326. The basic version of that offense carries a maximum sentence of two years in federal prison, but the ceiling climbs when a defendant has been removed after certain prior convictions. Under the statute, reentry following an aggravated felony can bring a maximum of up to 20 years. Human-smuggling and harboring offenses are typically charged under 8 U.S.C. § 1324, which provides heavier penalties that escalate with the seriousness of the conduct and any resulting injury or death.
A Steady Drumbeat Of Filings
The newest wave of cases fits a pattern of high-volume filing that has grabbed local headlines. In late May, KRIS TV reported that 259 people were charged in a single week under the same border-focused initiative, and by mid-June a separate report called out 160 new border cases in one day as prosecutors continued funneling complaints into federal court.
All of the new filings now move into the federal court process. An indictment or criminal complaint is only a formal allegation and does not constitute proof, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says the aggressive charging posture is intended to prioritize public safety along the border while those cases play out.
