CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Federal prosecutors in South Texas have filed 399 cases related to border enforcement efforts between Dec. 19 and Jan. 2, U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei announced in a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas.
The cases include charges against 19 people allegedly engaged in human smuggling, 146 individuals accused of illegal entry and 230 others who allegedly reentered the country after prior removal. Many of those charged already have felony convictions for narcotics, violent crime and immigration crimes, according to prosecutors.
Among those charged with felony reentry are individuals from Mexico, Honduras and Cuba. Two men were allegedly removed from the United States less than one month before their apprehension.
Cuban national Armando David Naranjo-Alemany and Honduran national Melvin Antonio Ramos-Avila had been removed Nov. 28 and Nov. 25, 2025, respectively, according to charges. However, authorities discovered both men were unlawfully present in the South Texas area in the final weeks of December, criminal complaints state.
Other individuals allegedly found in the country illegally were Ruben Jimenez-Garcia, Jose Raul Sotelo and German Garza-Velez, all of Mexico. Criminal complaints indicate all had been previously removed from the United States but were back in the country illegally. Each man has a criminal history that includes convictions related to controlled substances such as methamphetamine or cocaine, burglary or illegal reentry, according to charges.
Authorities also allegedly discovered Eva Aidee Rodriguez-Rivera, a Mexican woman, in the Donna area without permission to be there. Charges allege Rodriguez-Rivera had been removed previously and was sentenced to 75 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
If convicted of illegal reentry charges, all defendants face up to 20 years in federal prison.
Federal law enforcement partners referred or supported the cases, 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. State and local law enforcement partners also provided assistance.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel illegal immigration, achieve the elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect communities from violent crime perpetrators.
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 9 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 law enforcement partners on federal, state and local levels to prosecute suspected offenders.
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