Press release from United States Attorney’s Office Western District of Texas
SAN ANTONIO — United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas Justin R. Simmons announced that the district prosecuted 11,542 border security cases and defended 652 civil immigration cases in 2025.
“In the first year of this administration, the Western District of Texas has worked tirelessly to prosecute thousands of cases that directly support border security and public safety, achieving strong and meaningful outcomes across a wide range of offenses,” Simmons said. “Through Operation Take Back America, our prosecutors have partnered with the U.S. Border Patrol, ICE and Homeland Security Investigations, the DEA, the FBI, and our state and local law enforcement partners, targeting violent offenders, human smugglers, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten our communities and way of life. The many cases prosecuted last year in the Western District reflect our commitment to enforcing federal law, restoring order at the border, and ensuring that those who exploit or endanger others are held accountable in court.”
Among the prosecutions, Maria Del Rosario Navarro-Sanchez was indicted as the first Mexican national charged with providing material support to a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. According to court documents, Navarro-Sanchez conspired with others to provide and attempted to provide grenades to the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion. The indictment also alleges Navarro-Sanchez engaged in alien smuggling, firearms trafficking, bulk cash smuggling and narcotics trafficking on behalf of the cartel.
On Jan. 20, 2025, President Trump directed the Justice Department and other federal agencies to pursue the elimination of Mexican drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations due to the threat they pose to the United States and the security and stability of the U.S. border with Mexico. On Feb. 20, the U.S. Department of State designated eight international cartels, including the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and specially designated global terrorists, allowing prosecutors to bring enhanced criminal charges.
The Navarro-Sanchez case is being investigated and prosecuted by the Homeland Security Task Force as part of Operation Take Back America. The task forces were established under Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, and are led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security.
In San Antonio, two convicted human smugglers were sentenced for their roles in a 2022 mass-casualty human smuggling conspiracy that resulted in the deaths of 47 adults and six children. Felipe Orduna-Torres was sentenced to life in prison, and Armando Gonzales-Ortega was sentenced to 1,050 months in prison after being found guilty by a federal jury of transportation of aliens resulting in death, causing serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy.
Five additional defendants have pleaded guilty in the case. Homero Zamorano Jr. is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 18; Riley Covarrubias-Ponce on Feb. 26; Christian Martinez on March 5; and Luis Alberto Rivera-Leal on April 2. Juan Francisco D’Luna Bilbao, indicted separately, is scheduled to be sentenced March 26.
In a related case, Rigoberto Ramon Miranda-Orozco, who was extradited from Guatemala, allegedly worked with the same human smuggling organization on the fatal journey. Miranda-Orozco remains in custody and is awaiting trial.
In El Paso, Manuel Valenzuela, a lawful permanent resident, pleaded guilty to four federal charges related to his role in a scheme to smuggle children from Mexico into the United States.
Court records show members of the smuggling organization brought unaccompanied children between the ages of five and 13 illegally into the United States from Juarez, Mexico, sometimes using candy laced with THC to sedate them during smuggling events. Drivers allegedly presented false U.S. documents at inspection points, claiming to be the children’s parents. During one incident, a child was taken to a local hospital and diagnosed with THC poisoning.
Valenzuela was responsible for picking up the children after they entered the country and providing payment to the drivers. He was arrested Aug. 30 along with co-defendant Dianne Guadian, a U.S. citizen. Valenzuela, Guadian, and two additional co-defendants, Mexican nationals Susana Guadian and Daniel Guadian, were charged in a five-count indictment on Sept. 24.
