SDTX charges another 363 individuals in third week of February for crimes related to continued border-security enforcement efforts

HOUSTON - A total of 361 cases have been filed in immigration and related matters from Feb. 13-19, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

A total of 23 people are charged with human smuggling crimes. Another 141 criminal complaints were filed for illegal entry, while 193 people face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felonies such as narcotics, violent crime, immigration crimes and more. The remaining cases involve firearms charges and other immigration crimes.

Some of those charged with felony reentry after removal are several Mexican nationals who had just been removed recently. Two of those complaints allege Jorge Luis Gonzalez-Garcia and Cesar Eduardo Sanchez-Rodriguez, who were discovered in the McAllen area with no authorization to be in the country. Both men have prior convictions for illegal reentry and were previously removed in November 2025 and January 2026, respectively.

Additional complaints allege four other felons had also illegally reentered the country and have prior drug convictions. Law enforcement discovered Cesar David Ramirez-Rodriguez and Irwin Francisco Ruiz-Gallegos near Mission, while Jesus Torres-Gomez and Arturo Saenz-Valle were located near Weslaco and Rio Grande City, respectively, according to their charges.

All six men face up to 20 years in federal prison, if convicted.

In addition to the new cases, Wilson Antonio Vargas Argueta was ordered to serve a 24-month sentence for unlawfully reentering the country. He has multiple prior convictions for assault, driving while intoxicated, and fleeing from law enforcement. In 2020, he bit a police officer while resisting arrest and was removed from the United States, before illegally returning.

Also announced this week was the sentencing of four-time DUI offender, Odon Chavez-Esquivel. He was first removed from the United States in May 2003 and later returned illegally in 2011 and 2012. Authorities discovered him again in August 2022 following his fourth conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol. He has now been ordered to serve a 21-month federal sentence.

Mexican national Juan Ignacio Miranda-Arente was ordered to serve a 21-month sentence. He has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 2008 with convictions for illegal reentry, assault, and indecency with a child.

Honduran national Danilo Nunez-Avila pleaded guilty to unlawfully reentering the United States without permission for a ninth time. Law enforcement discovered him Oct. 29, 2024, after responding to a reported assault involving a family member. According to court records, he has multiple previous convictions for illegal reentry. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

Several others also received federal sentences in Houston for illegal reentry, including Salvadoran national Santos Alexis Parada Garcia. He has multiple convictions for domestic violence, driving while intoxicated, and felony possession of cocaine. Two others - Guatemalan national Manual Isais Sohom Tambriz and Mexican national Jose Apolinar Hernandez-Melo - have also now been sentenced. Hernandez-Melo has a criminal history including driving under the influence of alcohol and possession of a controlled substance and had been previously removed from the United States. He was discovered again in 2025 following a conviction for deadly conduct. Tambriz was first removed in 2016 and returned illegally three times.

These cases were 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 and 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 immigration, 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 this 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 nine 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.