SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The United States Attorney’s Office, Western District of Texas filed 259 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from March 28 through April 3, acting United States Attorney Margaret Leachman has announced.
Among those cases are a Mexican national allegedly residing illegally in San Antonio accused of human smuggling, a “permanent resident alien” accused of smuggling a handgun to Mexico, a man accused of conspiring to bring illegal aliens into the U.S. near Eagle Pass, a citizen of Mexico reportedly convicted on federal drug trafficking charges in 2012 and more, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The U.S. Attorneys Office stated multiple cases involve people who have previously been deported on other charges.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the 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 cases are part of “Operation Take Back America”, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, an initiative they say is meant to combat illegal immigration, eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations and “protect communities from the perpetrators of violent crime”.
The full release can be found at this link.