ALBUQUERQUE - Today, the United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico announced its immigration enforcement statistics for this week. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies.

In the one-week period ending May 9, 2025, the United States Attorney's Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico:

• 91 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326)
• 1 individual was charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324)
• 1 individual was charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325)
• 209 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325) and 50 U.S.C. 797, violation of a military security regulation, arising from the newly established National Defense Area in New Mexico.

Many of the defendants charged pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1326 had prior criminal convictions for alien smuggling, burglary, drug trafficking, illegal reentry, and DUI.

In a significant case, Gerald Anthony Lopez fled from the I-10 U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in Doña Ana County, NM, after agreeing to a secondary inspection, reaching speeds of up to 140 mph. When Lopez was finally stopped by law enforcement, agents found a handgun and ammunition in the vehicle.

These 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 immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

These statistics represent prosecutions by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process.

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

The District of New Mexico consists of 33 counties and shares 180 miles of international border with Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from Albuquerque and Las Cruces work directly with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to prosecute immigration-related and other federal offenses.