U.S. Attorney’s Office Exceeds 250 New Immigration Cases for Another Week in Western District of Texas

SAN ANTONIO - Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 256 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Oct. 23 through Oct. 30, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against alien smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for violent crimes, numerous DWIs, thefts, and multiple prior removals. The new batch of immigration cases brings the total number across the district's seven offices to nearly 1,000 in October, averaging approximately 250 cases filed per week.

Among the new cases, prosecutors charged Miguel Malo Poggio with transportation of illegal aliens. Supporting an investigation led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol agents conducted a traffic stop on a tractor-trailer traveling north on Interstate 25 north of Las Cruces, New Mexico. The driver was identified as Malo Poggio. As alleged in a criminal complaint affidavit, agents located a black backpack containing numerous cellular devices in a storage compartment of the truck's cab. When questioned about the devices, Malo Poggio allegedly handed an agent a set of keys from his pocket, indicating that the keys were for the cargo trailer, which was secured with a red tamper-evident seal.

According to the affidavit, agents discovered 42 illegal aliens inside the trailer, including three unaccompanied minors. The aliens were unrestrained and seated on the floor in rows and columns without an apparent means of exit. The affidavit alleges that at least one of the aliens stated they had illegally crossed into the United States less than a week prior, was taken to a stash house where their phone was confiscated and eventually loaded into the tractor-trailer where they were told to sit, remain quiet and stay hidden. This case remains under investigation and is being prosecuted in El Paso.

Also in El Paso, Omar Lorenzo Olivas-Chavez, an illegal alien from Mexico, was charged with illegal re-entry after he allegedly attempted to enter the U.S. with false information. A criminal complaint alleges Olivas-Chavez applied for admission via the pedestrian lane at the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry on Oct. 23, stating to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer that he was a U.S. Citizen and had lost his entry documents. The complaint alleges Olivas-Chavez wrote down a name and date of birth for the officer, which, after further inspection, was determined to be fictitious. A fingerprint scan revealed Olivas-Chaves has been previously removed from the U.S. to Mexico six times and has been convicted of burglary of habitation twice. He's also been previously convicted of criminal trespass, evading arrest, assault on a public servant, and escape while arrested.

Alvaro Lopez Ayala, an illegal alien from Mexico, was transferred to ICE custody and charged with illegal entry in San Antonio. Lopez was arrested in New Braunfels in May and transferred to the Travis County Jail in July to serve time pending a rape charge, according to a criminal complaint. On Oct. 21, Lopez was convicted of indecent assault in Travis County and sentenced to 300 days confinement. Lopez was previously removed from the U.S. in 2014. In addition to the indecent assault conviction, he has been previously convicted of cred card abuse, aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, and evading arrest.

Roberto Espinoza-Ponce, also an illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested by a deportation officer in Del Valle on Tuesday. Espinoza-Ponce has been previously removed from the U.S. three times and convicted for two DWIs, a hit-and-run, and failure to ID. If convicted, this will be his second for illegal re-entry.

Selvin Noe Santos-Umana, an illegal alien from Honduras, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents near Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. Santos-Umana was deported for the first time in April. He was convicted in 2024 for robbery using force, and has also been previously convicted of domestic battery, use and possession of drug paraphernalia, and interfering with a law enforcement officer.

Jose Elmer Argueta-Argueta, an illegal alien from El Salvador, was also arrested near Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. He was just deported in August for the eighth time. Argueta-Argueta has been previously convicted of two illegal re-entry charges, a DWI, forging public documents, and destruction of property with malicious wounding.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas-San Antonio, Austin and El Paso-and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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.

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