Border U.S. Attorneys Report Hundreds of Immigration Cases Under DOJ Operation

Overview

• Western District of Texas filed 468 cases from Nov. 21–Dec. 4, Southern District of Texas filed 316 from Nov. 28–Dec. 4 (84 illegal entry, 204 felony reentry, 28 smuggling, two other offenses), District of New Mexico charged 58 reentry, 89 entry and one smuggling in the week ending Dec. 5, and the Southern District of California separately reported 115 border-related cases this week.
• Prosecutors emphasized illegal entry, illegal reentry after removal and smuggling charges, noting numerous defendants with prior convictions for violent and serious offenses.
• An El Paso complaint alleges two men helped three people out of a canal and into a pickup in a scheme arranged via TikTok, with $800 allegedly promised for the transport.
• A separate case charges a Mexican national who allegedly tried to pass as a U.S. citizen at the Bridge of the Americas, with records indicating eight prior removals.
• In additional announcements, a Laredo jury convicted Carlos Alberto Garcia-Guajardo on 12 counts in a drugs-and-guns case, Alejandro Ramirez-Carranza received five years for smuggling, reentry and firearm possession, and Mario Alberto Almanzan-Mata was sentenced to 72 months for illegal reentry.