By Joel Langton
The 830 Times
Publisher’s Note: The following information was provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, Western District of Texas.
SAN ANTONIO — Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 250 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from March 6 through 12, U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons announced.
The charges include cases against alleged human smugglers and individuals previously convicted of violent crimes, sex offenses, multiple DWIs, theft and prior removals from the United States.
Among the cases highlighted by federal prosecutors was Fredy Alberto Guevara-Maldonado, a Honduran national arrested near Eagle Pass after allegedly resisting arrest and kicking a U.S. Border Patrol canine in the head. A criminal complaint states Guevara-Maldonado then reached for a Border Patrol agent’s weapon and forcefully grabbed the agent’s genital area. He is charged with assault on a federal officer.
Stephane Mujinga Elonga, a national of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was arrested in Del Rio and charged with illegal re-entry. Court documents indicate Elonga was deported to Canada through Champlain, New York, in 2019. He was previously convicted in 2015 of assault while displaying a dangerous weapon and in 2016 of driving under the influence and escape. Authorities allege Elonga re-entered the United States through Maine in January 2023.
Rene Lima-Morales, a citizen of El Salvador, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents near Maverick County on March 7. Authorities said Lima-Morales has been previously removed from the United States twice. In 2013, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for aggravated sexual assault. His criminal history also includes burglary of a habitation, burglary of a vehicle, theft and possession of a fictitious license plate.
Eduardo Henrrique Castron, a Honduran national, was arrested near Maverick County on March 9. Officials said he had previously been deported to Honduras in June 2025 following a 2023 conviction and four-year prison sentence in Wyoming for second-degree criminal sexual conduct. Records also show prior convictions for controlled substance use, domestic violence and operating a vehicle with a suspended or revoked license.
In the El Paso area, Mexican national Charbel Majluf Vargas-Felix was accused of serving as a foot guide for a group of five migrants who crossed the Rio Grande. Authorities said surveillance equipment captured the group running across Texas Highway 20 nearly two miles west of the Fort Hancock Port of Entry. The group was later found hiding in a drainage structure. Vargas-Felix allegedly told investigators he was to guide the group to a pickup location on Interstate 10 and would be paid $200 per person. He is charged with bringing in and harboring migrants.
Honduran national Santos Gabriel Bustillo-Zelaya, also known as Santos Gabriel Gonzalez, was released from the Bexar County Adult Detention Center and transferred to the custody of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations. He had been jailed on charges of assault causing bodily injury to a family member and possession of a controlled substance. Authorities said his criminal history includes six prior convictions for improper entry into the United States, one conviction for illegal re-entry, a DWI and convictions for failure to identify, resisting arrest and evading arrest.
ICE agents in Bexar County also arrested Mexican national Sergio Lugo-Rodriguez, also known as Juan Lugo-Godines, during a traffic stop on March 7. Authorities said Lugo-Rodriguez had previously been deported in 2014 following a 2013 conviction for failing to stop and render aid resulting in injury or death. He also has a 2008 DWI conviction in Bexar County.
In Austin, Mexican national Juan Jose Esparza Garcia was charged with illegal re-entry after authorities located him in the Travis County Jail. Officials said Esparza Garcia has three prior removals from the United States and prior convictions for three DWIs, theft and improper entry.
Benigno Granados Manzano, also a Mexican national, was charged with illegal re-entry in Austin. Authorities said his criminal history includes three DWI convictions. He was also convicted of improper entry in 2015 and has been removed from the United States three times.
Mexican national Ivan Perez-Saldana was located in the Travis County Jail after being convicted of domestic assault causing bodily injury. Officials said Perez-Saldana was last removed from the United States in 2011 following a conviction for improper entry.
Federal officials said the cases were referred or supported by multiple law enforcement agencies, including 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, along with state and local partners.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas covers 68 counties across central and western Texas, encompassing nearly 93,000 square miles and serving an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of Texas’ five largest cities — San Antonio, Austin and El Paso — and shares 660 miles of border with Mexico.
