The following press release was provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, Western District of Texas.
Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 281 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from May 8 through May 14, according to U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons.
The cases include charges against alleged human smugglers, visa fraud suspects and illegal immigrants with prior convictions ranging from driving while intoxicated to violent crimes and drug trafficking offenses.
One of the cases involves Encarnacion Lopez-Sanchez, also known as Ignacio Hernandez-Gomez, an illegal immigrant from Mexico residing in Crane, south of Odessa. Authorities allege Lopez-Sanchez is wanted in Mexico for the sexual assault of a minor and entered the United States through Del Rio using a border crossing card that limited his travel to within 25 miles of the border.
Federal officials allege Lopez-Sanchez later obtained an I-94 immigration form expiring July 9, 2025, and illegally worked for an energy company in Crane using fraudulent employment and tax documents.
In El Paso, federal prosecutors charged Yovani Garcia-Cruz, a U.S. citizen previously convicted in 2024 for smuggling people, with alien smuggling after investigators linked him to a stash house containing 14 undocumented immigrants. Authorities allege Garcia-Cruz acted as a pickup driver and sent “proof of life” videos to another individual involved in the operation.
Another El Paso case charges Erik Rangel-Martinez, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, with alien smuggling after he allegedly attempted to flee back into Mexico with 11 undocumented immigrants near the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry. Authorities allege he expected to be paid $100 to assist with smuggling using a ladder placed against the international border fence.
Federal officials also charged Jaime Rodriguez-Corral after he allegedly falsely claimed U.S. citizenship while attempting to cross through the pedestrian lane at the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry. Investigators said Rodriguez-Corral had previously been deported in 2020 and has prior convictions that include assault and possession of a fraudulent identification card.
In San Antonio, Santiago Florencio Velazquez-Tobon was charged with illegal re-entry after a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper stopped him for allegedly driving without a license in Guadalupe County. Authorities said his criminal history includes convictions for assault with a deadly weapon, child cruelty and threatening a witness.
Federal prosecutors also charged Erlin Omar Martinez-Carcamo, an illegal immigrant from Honduras, with illegal re-entry after he was identified in the Hays County Jail. Authorities said Martinez-Carcamo has three DWI convictions since 2022, along with convictions for reckless driving and bail jumping.
Another illegal re-entry case filed in Austin involves Isaias Garcia-Reynoso, an illegal immigrant from Mexico previously deported in 2023. Officials said Garcia-Reynoso has prior convictions for deadly conduct and DWI.
In Del Rio, U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested Christopher Jesus Carbajal-Lopez, an illegal immigrant from Honduras, near Maverick County. Federal authorities said Carbajal-Lopez was previously convicted in North Carolina for assault with a deadly weapon before being deported in February 2024. He now faces an illegal re-entry charge in federal court in Del Rio.
The cases were investigated with assistance from multiple federal agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 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 law enforcement agencies.
