Border security enforcement efforts continue with 254 additional cases filed in the Southern District of Texas

HOUSTON - Another 260 people face federal charges for immigration and border security-related crimes from Oct. 2-8.

A total of 177 criminal complaints involved felony reentry after prior removal, while another 41 people face charges of illegal entry. Most of those charged have prior felony convictions involving narcotics, violent crimes, and immigration offenses. In addition, 37 people face human smuggling charges, including 13 illegal aliens. The remaining five cases filed this week involve other immigration crimes and firearms charges.

One of those charged with felony reentry is Orlando Rene Flores-Orellana, a Guatemalan national whom law enforcement allegedly discovered unlawfully in the country near Peñitas despite his March 3 removal. According to the criminal complaint, he has a prior conviction for firearm possession.

Law enforcement also discovered Jose Manuel Fernandez-Martinez near Pharr after his removal March 11, 2022. Court records reflect a prior conviction for manufacturing and delivering of cocaine.

Both face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

In addition to the new cases, Honduran national Eliseo Henriquez-Joya aka Cheyo, received a 72-month prison sentence for conspiring to transport illegal aliens. Authorities identified him as a leader who coordinated the smuggling of approximately 188 illegal aliens in box trucks, refrigerated trucks, and tractor-trailers.

During the investigation, authorities stopped vehicles at checkpoints and discovered hidden compartments and false walls that concealed individuals in spaces with little or no ventilation, no air conditioning, and no means of escape.

The cases are referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigrants, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the Southern District. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal histories, including convictions for human trafficking, sexual assault, and violence against children.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than 10 million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen, and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state, and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.

An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.