CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Texas filed 331 new immigration and border security cases from Jan. 16-22 as part of Operation Take Back America, U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei announced.
The cases include charges against 18 people allegedly involved in human smuggling. Prosecutors filed 104 criminal complaints for illegal entry, while another 206 people face felony reentry charges after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felonies, including narcotics, violent crime, and immigration crimes.
Among the new cases, four individuals attempted to unlawfully re-enter the country after being removed within the last year. Mexican nationals Jorge Samuel Herrera-Elias and Abel Zambrano-Hernandez were previously removed in October and November 2025, respectively. El Salvadorian national Jasson Eduardo Canas-Membrano was removed in May 2025. Mexican national Juan Hernandez-Ramirez was previously removed in August 2023 and has a prior conviction for sexual assault of a child.
All four now face up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted.
Prosecutors also announced the transfer of two alleged cartel members to face federal drug trafficking charges. Juan Pedro Saldivar-Farias, also known as "Z-27," was allegedly a Los Zetas plaza boss, while Ricardo Cortez-Mateos, also known as "Billeton," was a high-ranking member of Cartel del Gulfo. If convicted, they face up to life in prison.
"There is, at present, an unfortunate belief that the public can freely obstruct law enforcement from carrying out their duties, and do so without consequence," Ganjei said.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to address illegal immigration and eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
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