More Than 250 New Immigration Cases Added in Western District of Texas

SAN ANTONIO - Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 254 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from June 5 through June 11, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for numerous DWIs, violent crimes including crimes against children, thefts, and multiple prior removals. Across the district, 76 of the charges are for improper entry by an alien, 142 are for illegal re-entry, 20 cases are for alien smuggling, and 13 are for fraud and misuse of visas, permits and related documents.

Among the new cases, four individuals were arrested near Socorro and charged via a criminal complaint with alien smuggling after their alleged smuggling scheme was foiled by U.S. Border Patrol agents on June 7. The complaint alleges that agents located and apprehended eight illegal aliens who admitted they had crossed the Rio Grande River, used a ladder to climb over the international boundary fence, and entered the U.S. without inspection or authorization. During processing at the Ysleta Border Patrol Station, agents observed that one of the illegal aliens had received incoming calls and messages from multiple phone numbers associated with alien smuggling activity. Further investigation led to the location and arrests of Adrian Silvestre Ortiz, Sheyla Carrillo-Aguilar and Veronica Madrid, who were allegedly involved in the planned pickup and transportation of the illegal aliens. An alleged fourth conspirator, Irvin Alonso Guzman Luna, admitted he served as the foot guide for the illegal aliens after they crossed into the U.S., according to the criminal complaint.

U.S. citizen Ashley Villalobos is charged with alien smuggling for allegedly attempting to smuggle two Mexican children from Hidalgo that she picked up at a grocery store in Ciudad Juarez. A criminal complaint alleges that Villalobos stated she was going to be paid $1,500 per child and had smuggled illegal alien minors twice in May.

Raul Oliver Rede-Mendez, an illegal alien from Mexico with a lengthy record of felony convictions, was found at or near Texas State Highway Loop 375, about a half mile west of the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry in El Paso. Rede-Mendez has also gone by the names Raul Fierro-Mendez, Juan Rede, and Raul Reyes. He's been removed from the U.S. four times, the last being in May 2024, following an illegal re-entry conviction. He's also been convicted of failure to stop at the scene of personal injury, theft by shoplifting, obstructing judiciary/congress/legislature, assault, and more.

Edwin Eberaldo Miranda-Hinojosa, an illegal alien from Bolivia, was arrested in El Paso for allegedly attempting to evade immigration laws by appearing under an assumed or fictitious name. According to a criminal complaint, Miranda-Hinojosa applied for admission into the United States at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry via the pedestrian primary, presenting a counterfeit Border Crossing Card. The complaint alleges that Miranda-Hinojosa initially claimed that the document was his but then stated that he obtained it from another individual and was going to pay $4,000 for it after he entered the U.S. Miranda-Hinojosa was removed from the U.S. in December 2025, following his second DWI conviction within five years. He has also been previously convicted multiple times of assault and battery of a family member.

Javier Granados-Leon, an illegal alien from Mexico with eight prior deportations, was found in the Hays County Jail on June 4. His criminal record includes three convictions for improper entry by an alien, four convictions for illegal re-entry, two DWIs, two failures to identify, two convictions for manufacturing/delivering controlled substances, and one conviction for assault causing bodily injury. Granados-Leon has also gone by the names Miguel Basilio Hernandez and Mondregon-Jaimes. He's now charged again with one count of illegal re-entry.

On June 5, ICE Enforcement Removal Operations officers responded to assist Texas Department of Public Safety State Troopers with a traffic stop on Interstate Highway 35 in New Braunfels. According to a criminal complaint, the driver of the pulled over vehicle was Alejandro Quezada-Mota, an illegal alien from Mexico, who was previously removed from the United States in December 2011. In April 2008, Quezada-Mota was convicted in Harris County of aggravated sexual assault of a child and was sentenced to seven years confinement. He now faces one count of illegal re-entry and, if he's convicted, up to 20 years in federal prison.

In Del Rio, Santos Rutilio Barahona-Banegas, a convicted felon and illegal alien from Honduras, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents. Barahona-Rojas has been deported five times, the most recent being in March 2023. His criminal record includes prior convictions of cocaine possession, family violence and child cruelty, illegal re-entry, and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

Also in Del Rio, USBP agents arrested Fernando Omar Aguilar-Gonzalez aka Manuel Aguilar Pena. Aguilar-Gonzalez is an illegal alien from Mexico who has been deported from the U.S. four times, the last being in July 2019. He has been previously convicted of grand larceny, possession of a controlled substance, escape from confinement, and burglary of a habitation. He's now charged with illegal re-entry.

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.

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.

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.

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