Since President Trump’s inauguration, the Department of Justice has played a pivotal role in Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and safeguarding communities from violent criminals. This operation leverages resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
During the fourth week of April, U.S. Attorneys for the Southwestern districts of Arizona, Central California, Southern California, New Mexico, Southern Texas, and Western Texas charged more than 990 individuals with criminal violations of U.S. immigration laws.
The Southern District of Texas alone filed 237 cases involving immigration and security-related offenses. Of these, 124 defendants face charges for illegally reentering the country, many of whom have felony convictions for crimes such as narcotics trafficking, firearms offenses, sexual crimes, and prior immigration violations. Additionally, 106 individuals are charged with illegal entry, five cases involve human smuggling, and the rest are related to assaults on officers or other immigration crimes. One notable case involves Carlos Verduco-Muniz, who faces charges of assaulting a federal officer after allegedly punching a Texas Military Department Specialist during a pursuit near Rio Grande City. Verduco-Muniz, a Mexican national, was illegally present in the U.S. at the time of the incident.
The Western District of Texas filed 344 new cases involving immigration-related crimes. One significant case concerns Henry Cruz-Lemas, a Honduran national previously convicted of aggravated kidnapping in 2011, who was arrested on April 18 in San Antonio during an ICE investigation. He faces charges of illegal reentry. Another case involves Jose Angel Escarcega-Briones, a Mexican national found near the Tornillo Port of Entry. He had been removed from the U.S. five times and has prior convictions for illegal reentry and federal drug trafficking.
In Arizona, the U.S. Attorney’s Office charged 232 individuals with immigration-related offenses. These charges include 110 cases of illegal reentry and 110 cases of illegal entry. Additionally, the district brought nine cases against 11 individuals involved in alien smuggling and charged one individual with failing to register as required by law.
The Southern District of California filed 134 cases, which include charges for transporting illegal aliens, bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, being found in the U.S. after deportation, and importing controlled substances.
The Central District of California filed charges against 32 defendants for reentering the U.S. after being removed. Many of these defendants had felony convictions prior to their removal, including offenses such as committing lewd acts on children under 14. Reentry after removal can result in up to two years in federal prison, while defendants convicted of felonies face up to 10 years, and those convicted of aggravated felonies may face up to 20 years.
The District of New Mexico reported the following enforcement actions for the week ending April 25, 2025: 67 individuals were charged with Illegal Reentry After Deportation, 10 with Alien Smuggling, and 55 with Illegal Entry. These cases were prosecuted in coordination with the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, and other federal, state, and local agencies.
