Federal prosecutors filed 264 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases across West and Central Texas in one week, including charges against alleged alien smugglers and illegal aliens with prior convictions for child sex crimes, robbery, drunken driving and aggravated assault, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Friday.
The Western District of Texas filed the cases from September 11 through September 17. The district covers 68 counties, nearly 93,000 square miles and about 7.6 million residents. It includes San Antonio, Austin and El Paso and shares 660 miles of border with Mexico.
The same office filed 410 new immigration cases from May 30 through June 5, as The Dallas Express previously reported. Federal prosecutors in West and South Texas filed 612 cases in that earlier roundup.
Firearm and illegal re-entry cases
Federal prosecutors charged Jose Ramiro Ramirez Nunez, an illegal alien from Mexico, with illegal alien in possession of a firearm. A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper stopped Ramirez Nunez in Guadalupe County on September 14. A criminal complaint alleges he lacked a driver’s license and presented a Mexican consulate identification card.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer determined Ramirez Nunez was an illegal alien and took him into custody. During an inventory search, the trooper allegedly found an unloaded, holstered .40-caliber pistol in the center console and two loaded magazines in the glove box.
Authorities also arrested Jose Enrique Vasquez-Nicolas in El Indio and charged him with illegal re-entry. The DOJ identified Vasquez-Nicolas as an illegal alien from Mexico and a convicted sex offender. He served five years in prison for two counts of sexual assault of a child before his June 28, 2025, deportation.
U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested Yoni Donay Hernandez-Orellana near Eagle Pass. The Honduran illegal alien faces an illegal re-entry charge after an October 2025 deportation. The DOJ said he has prior convictions for common law robbery in North Carolina and robbery with a dangerous weapon.
In Fort Hancock, authorities arrested Jose Luis Saldana-Barrios, an illegal alien from Mexico with two active warrants, and charged him with illegal re-entry. The DOJ said his record includes a 2015 conviction for aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury, a fourth DWI conviction in 2016 and removal from the United States in 2017.
Alleged smuggling in El Paso
Federal prosecutors charged U.S. citizen Pedro Damian Torres with alien smuggling after a case near Paisano Drive in El Paso. A criminal complaint alleges Torres admitted picking up five illegal aliens and receiving $600 for each person, or $3,000 total. The complaint also alleges he admitted participating in three earlier smuggling events for $500 per person.
U.S. citizen Lawrence Joshua Lucero also faces an alien smuggling charge after allegedly arranging to pick up two illegal aliens near Porfirio Diaz Street and West Missouri Avenue. The DOJ said Lucero has prior convictions for human smuggling in 2025, drug trafficking in 2023 and child abuse in 2016.
Operation spans West and Central Texas
The DOJ said the cases are part of Operation Take Back America. A March 2025 memo directed federal prosecutors and law enforcement to use Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods resources against illegal immigration, cartels, transnational criminal organizations, drug trafficking and human smuggling.
ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives referred or supported the cases, with help from state and local agencies. Criminal complaints and indictments contain allegations. Courts presume every defendant innocent unless the government proves guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Provided by Dallas Express
