The following press release was provided by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 450 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from June 12 through June 25, U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons announced.
The charges include cases involving alleged human smugglers and undocumented immigrants with prior convictions for driving while intoxicated, violent crimes, sex crimes against children, theft and multiple prior removals from the United States.
Among the new cases:
Jose Gilberto Padilla-Yepez, a convicted felon from Mexico, was arrested near Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. According to prosecutors, Padilla-Yepez has been deported four times, most recently in August 2022. His criminal history includes a 1991 homicide conviction, three burglary convictions in Dallas, a theft conviction in Nebraska and convictions in Arizona for robbery, assault, sexual assault, burglary and kidnapping.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez Escamilla, also from Mexico, was arrested near Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. Prosecutors said Gonzalez Escamilla was convicted of illegal re-entry for a second time in January and deported for the sixth time immediately afterward. His criminal history also includes three DWI convictions.
Martin Flores-Romero was arrested near Eagle Pass on June 19 and charged with illegal re-entry. Prosecutors said he was deported for the second time in December 2025. His criminal record includes convictions for tampering with government records, assault causing bodily injury and making a terroristic threat.
Pedro Euceda-Aguero, a Honduran national, was charged with illegal re-entry after being arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents near Eagle Pass on June 19. According to prosecutors, he was removed from the United States for the fourth time in December 2022. His criminal history includes four DWI convictions and an escape-from-custody conviction.
Francisco Javier Perez-Solis was charged with illegal re-entry after authorities encountered him at the Atascosa County Jail in Jourdanton, where he had been arrested for assault causing bodily injury to a family member. Prosecutors said he was transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody June 24. His criminal history also includes three DWI convictions, and he has previously been removed from the United States twice.
Jose Humberto Gonzalez Calderon was located in the Hays County Jail after receiving deferred adjudication probation on a child grooming charge. Prosecutors said he was transferred to ICE custody June 16. His criminal record includes convictions for DWI, possession of a controlled substance and criminal trespass. He was removed to Mexico in December 2021.
Carlos Emmanuel Gonzalez-Chavez was found in the Hays County Jail while serving a sentence for assault causing bodily injury before being transferred to ICE custody. He was previously convicted of possession of a controlled substance and had been removed from the United States in 2019. He now faces a federal charge of illegal re-entry.
Tony Nefi Deanda, a U.S. citizen, was charged with alien smuggling in El Paso. According to prosecutors, U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended eight undocumented minors near Socorro after they crossed the Rio Grande and climbed over the international boundary fence using a ladder. Investigators later identified Deanda as the alleged smuggler. Prosecutors noted Deanda was previously convicted in 2021 of importing more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and sentenced to 37 months in federal prison.
Michelle Aimee Rivera, a U.S. citizen previously convicted of alien smuggling, was arrested June 12 after attempting to enter the United States through the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry. According to prosecutors, investigators believe Rivera used her daughter’s U.S. birth certificate to smuggle a young girl into the country through the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry on June 5. Court documents allege Rivera admitted being paid $1,000 and recording a video for a co-conspirator. Rivera was previously convicted in 2017 of bringing in and harboring undocumented immigrants and sentenced to 24 months of probation.
Guadalupe Guerrero was charged with alien smuggling following her June 18 arrest. According to prosecutors, Border Patrol agents tracked a van from Fabens to El Paso after identifying it as a vehicle previously involved in an alien smuggling attempt. Agents later searched an apartment where they allegedly found Guerrero, her seven children and several undocumented immigrants. Prosecutors allege Guerrero was housing undocumented immigrants and coordinating with a smuggler.
