CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Federal authorities charged 259 people with immigration and related crimes between May 22 and May 28 under Operation Take Back America, Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck announced.
In the Southern District of Texas, prosecutors filed cases against 160 people for unlawfully reentering the United States after prior deportation and 69 for illegal entry. An additional 28 people were charged with human smuggling. The remaining cases involve other immigration offenses and firearms violations.
Many of those charged have prior criminal records, including narcotics trafficking, previous immigration violations, and violent crimes.
Shooting case
Among those charged is Juan Ayala-Montero, a Mexican national. According to federal complaints, Ayala-Montero retrieved an Olympic Arms .223 AR-style rifle from his residence in New Caney and opened fire on a group of people over the holiday weekend. One victim was struck in the torso and head. Authorities recovered the rifle and approximately 30 spent shell casings at the scene.
Ayala-Montero faces charges including illegal alien in possession of a firearm, which carries a potential sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison.
Repeat offenders
2 other illegal reentry cases involve repeat offenders.
Marcos Ismael Escobar-Sosa, a Cuban national, was arrested near Mission. He had been previously removed from the U.S. as recently as February 6 and has a prior felony conviction for credit card abuse.
Gustavo Arroyo-Anaya, a Mexican national, was taken into custody near Donna. He has a prior burglary conviction and served 2 years in prison before his removal in 2025.
Both Escobar-Sosa and Arroyo-Anaya face up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted of unlawful reentry.
Sentencing
In a separate sentencing, Leonardo Cordona-Hernandez, a Mexican national, received a 72-month federal prison sentence for illegal reentry. Cordona-Hernandez was first removed in 2011 but was located in Houston in February 2024. His criminal history includes felony convictions for robbery, drug trafficking, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
Operation Take Back America
The prosecutions are part of a coordinated nationwide effort by the Department of Justice to combat illegal immigration, dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and remove individuals with serious criminal histories from U.S. communities.
Multiple federal agencies supported the cases, including ICE Homeland Security Investigations, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, DEA, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, and ATF, along with state and local law enforcement.
The Southern District of Texas has intensified enforcement under current priorities, targeting both border security and interior removals of people engaged in unlawful activity or with records involving human trafficking, sexual assault, and violence against children.
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