HOUSTON — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Texas, Southern), published as received.
HOUSTON – The Southern District of Texas has charged another 222 people, including 189 illegal aliens, with immigration and border security-related crimes from Oct. 16-23.
A total of 165 criminal complaints were filed for felony reentry after prior removal, while another 24 people face charges of illegal entry. Most of those illegal aliens have prior felonies involving narcotics, violent crime, immigration offenses, and more. In addition, 23 people have been charged with human smuggling which includes 11 illegal aliens themselves. The remaining five cases charged this week relate to other immigration related crimes.
One of those charged with felony reentry is Walter Adonai Ramirez-Campos (pictured), an El Salvadoran national who authorities allegedly discovered unlawfully in the country near Mission, despite his March 19, 2025, removal. According to the criminal complaint, he has a prior conviction for DWI, third offense. If convicted of illegal reentry, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
In addition to the new cases, a previously removed illegal alien with a felony criminal history was sentenced to federal prison for his third unlawful reentry into the United States. Guatemalan national Hector Alexander Cabrera has prior convictions for illegal reentry, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, evading arrest or detention, criminal mischief, burglary of a vehicle, theft, and assault. He was ordered to serve 63 months in federal prison.
The cases are referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigrants, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the Southern District. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal histories, including convictions for human trafficking, sexual assault, and violence against children.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than 10 million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen, and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state, and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.
An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
