HOUSTON – A total of 318 additional cases have been filed in immigration and border-related matters from Jan. 9-15, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.Of those charged, 113 people face illegal entry charges, while another 180 face charges of felony reentry after removal. Many of those charged have prior felony convictions involving narcotics, violent crimes and immigration offenses.
An additional 24 people are accused of engaging in human smuggling, while the remaining two face charges related to other immigration crimes.Among those charged this week are Mexican nationals Carlos Ricardo Lucio-Lucio and Fernando Soto-Guerrero. Criminal complaints allege both men attempted to unlawfully reenter the United States within six months of their most recent removals. The complaints detail that Lucio-Lucio and Soto-Guerrero were previously removed Aug. 1, 2025, and Dec. 29, 2025, respectively. Both allegedly have prior felony convictions for transporting and harboring of illegal aliens.
According to court documents, law enforcement discovered both aliens within the United States without any legal authorization.Another illegal alien facing charges this week is Mexican national Maclovio Esparza-Salas, whom law enforcement allegedly discovered unlawfully in the United States near Roma. According to court documents, he was previously removed Oct. 11, 2024, and has a prior conviction for possession of a weapon.If convicted of felony illegal reentry after removal as charged, all three face up to 20 years in prison.In addition to the newly filed cases, Honduran national Jose Castro Orellana received a 54-month federal prison sentence for illegally reentering the United States without authorization. He has prior convictions for domestic violence, evading arrest and illegal reentry. He was first removed in 2012 and illegally returned twice.Two Mexican nationals in Brownsville and Corpus Christi also received prison sentences for illegal reentry after removal.
Gabriel Rodriguez-Martinez received a 60-month federal prison sentence, while Jose de Jesus Galicia-Castillo received 41 months. Both have prior felony convictions for illegal reentry.These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, 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 with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.The 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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal histories, including convictions for human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
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 nine 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 our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.