Western District of Texas ends July with 250 new immigration cases (DOJ)

SAN ANTONIO - Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 250 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from July 24 through July 31, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for numerous DWIs, violent crimes and sexual abuse, thefts, and multiple prior removals.

Among the new cases, Manuel Sanchez-Sanchez, an illegal alien from Mexico with a prior felony conviction of assault to commit rape, was arrested approximately four miles west of the Fort Hancock Port of Entry. Sanchez-Sanchez is charged with illegal re-entry having been previously removed from the United States in 2008.

Illegal alien from Mexico Reginaldo Cardona-Cardona was also arrested in Fort Hancock, less than two miles west of the POE. Cardona-Cardona has been previously removed from the U.S. three times, the last being in June 2024. He has an extensive criminal record that includes convictions for assault causing bodily injury, burglary of a building, a DWI, and two separate convictions for driving with an invalid license.

The ICE Fugitive Operations Team in El Paso encountered and arrested Francisco Ibarra-Quinones in El Paso as part of an investigation into aliens who have been previously removed from the U.S. and returned without permission. Ibarra-Quinones was previously deported in 2009, following a conviction for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He's now charged with illegal re-entry.

Ismael Guillermo Cedillo-Martinez, an illegal alien from Mexico who has been removed from the United States seven times, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents near Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. Cedillo-Martinez has previously been convicted of three DWI charges, improper entry by an alien, and one illegal re-entry charge.

Illegal alien from Honduras Jose Efrain Corrales-Corrales was also arrested near Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. Corrales-Corrales was last deported on Nov. 23, 2025. He has been previously convicted of three DUIs as well as child cruelty and possession of a controlled substance.

In Austin, Abel Alejandro Martinez Robles, an illegal alien from Mexico, was transferred into ICE custody after being found in the Burnet County Jail, where he was booked for failure to identify. Martinez Robles has been removed from the U.S. two times and was previously convicted of aggravated sexual abuse.

Illegal alien from El Salvador Nelson Romero-Membreno was found in the Travis County Jail, where he was serving a sentence for his second DWI. Romero-Membreno has been deported twice and was also previously convicted of unlawful restraint with serious bodily injury.

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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