New immigration cases filed in West Texas

San Antonio—Acting United States Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas announced that federal prosecutors in the district filed 352 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases, Apr. 25-May 1.

Among the new cases, David Ysturiz-Villalobos and Yilber Gabriel Caldera-Espinoza were arrested by the San Antonio Police Department during an Apr. 22 traffic stop. Both were identified as Venezuelan nationals unlawfully present in the United States. Ysturiz-Villalobos was observed in possession of a .40 caliber pistol with a loaded magazine and one chambered round. Caldera-Espinoza later admitted the pistol was his. Ysturiz-Villalobos and Caldera-Espinoza are each charged with one count of illegal alien in possession of a firearm and, if convicted, face up to 10 years in federal prison.

Mexican national Rogelio Cruz-Ramirez was federally charged with illegal re-entry in Austin after being encountered at the Hays County Jail, where he was serving a 271-day sentence for possession of a controlled substance. Cruz-Ramirez has three prior removals from the United States and two voluntary returns to Mexico. In 2015, he was convicted of assault causing bodily injury to a family member, adding to an unlawful carry conviction and fraudulent use/possession of identifying information in 2007. Cruz-Ramirez also has three unlawful entry convictions on his record.

Jesus Soto-Reyes, a Mexican national, was encountered at the Bastrop County Jail, where he was being held for an alleged aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and assault causing bodily injury to a family member. Soto-Reyes has five previous removals from the United States and two voluntary returns.

Angel Navarro-Miranda, also of Mexico, was encountered at the Travis County Jail, where he was being held for an alleged DWI and collision involving damage. Navarro-Miranda’s criminal record includes four additional DWI charges dating back to August 2000.

Near Eagle Pass, Honduran national Alicia Lourdes Mendoza-Fuentes was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) agents on Apr. 23. Mendoza-Fuentes is charged with illegal re-entry, having been deported three times before. Mendoza-Fuentes was convicted May 15, 2024, for a smuggling of persons offense and was subsequently deported to Honduras May 29, 2024.

USBP agents arrested a Salvadoran national, Daniel Isai Gonzalez-Martinez, near Eagle Pass on Apr. 24. Gonzalez-Martinez also has three prior removals, the most recent being Dec. 13, 2024. Gonzalez-Martinez is a three-time convicted felon with two illegal re-entry convictions and one conviction in 2018 for bringing in and harboring certain aliens.

USBP agents near Eagle Pass arrested Mexican national Jose Torres-Galaviz on Apr. 28. Torres-Galaviz has multiple felony convictions that include resisting law enforcement, auto theft, and battery by bodily waste in January 2024, along with possession of cocaine and battery by bodily waste convictions in August 2021. He was recently deported through El Paso on Feb. 22 and now faces an illegal re-entry charge.

Jose Luis Padron Arredondo, also a Mexican national, was arrested by USBP agents on Apr. 25 for an illegal re-entry offense. Padron Arredondo has been deported four times, the last one being Oct. 17, 2024, through Del Rio. His criminal record includes a felony conviction for illegal re-entry in 2013 and two convictions for improper entry by an alien in 2009 and 2010.

In El Paso, Eddie Gonzalez Jr., a U.S. citizen, was arrested Apr. 28 and charged with smuggling illegal aliens. USBP agents responded to reports of three individuals making an illegal entry within five miles of the Tornillo Port of Entry when they noticed a vehicle speeding away. Gonzalez Jr. is alleged to have been the driver and fled from USBP agents multiple times at a high rate of speed. A criminal complaint alleges that Gonzalez Jr. eventually exited his vehicle, ran on foot, and boarded a second vehicle driven by a juvenile. Agents were able to pull the second vehicle over and arrest both Gonzalez Jr. and the juvenile. One of the individuals apprehended in the area of the reported illegal entry was also apprehended and allegedly admitted to being a Mexican citizen. The criminal complaint alleges Gonzalez Jr. admitted to entering into an agreement with a smuggler and was expecting to be paid $1,800 for picking up illegal aliens.

USBP agents at Fort Hancock also arrested Yonni Rios-Ibarra, a Mexican national who allegedly served as a foot guide for two other Mexican nationals entering the U.S. illegally. Agents allegedly observed the three aliens attempting to hide in the brush alongside a canal. Rios-Ibarra is charged with bringing in and harboring certain aliens.

Mexican national Francisco Reyna-Espinosa was transferred to federal custody in Odessa after being convicted Apr. 25 of driving while intoxicated, for which he was sentenced in the 161st Judicial District Court to 10 years of confinement. Reyna-Espinosa was previously convicted in federal court on Jan. 30, 2014, for illegal re-entry after deportation and sentenced to three years of probation. Reyna-Espinoza has two additional DWI convictions on his criminal record.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles, and has an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin, and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

These 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

SOURCE Federal Bureau of Investigation