Federal prosecutors charged 204 people with immigration and border security-related crimes in the Southern District of Texas from Oct. 9 to 15, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Of those charged, 182 were identified as being in the country illegally. Prosecutors filed 161 criminal complaints alleging felony reentry after prior removal and charged 16 people with illegal entry. Another 22 were charged with human smuggling, six of whom were identified as being in the country illegally. Four other cases involved immigration-related offenses and firearms charges.
One person charged, Enrique Roel Pena-Soto, is a Mexican national who was allegedly found in the McAllen area after being removed from the United States on Aug. 22, 2022, according to a criminal complaint. The complaint says he has prior convictions for carjacking and possession with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana. If convicted of illegal reentry, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
In a separate case, Robert Martinez Jr. of Needville was sentenced in Corpus Christi to 21 months in federal prison for transporting 10 people identified as being in the country illegally in a tractor-trailer. Authorities found the people hidden in the truck's sleeping compartments at a Border Patrol checkpoint near Sarita, and two were unable to escape from beneath four others. The court cited the dangerous conditions and Martinez's prior felony drug convictions, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Several federal agencies, along with state agencies, were involved in the cases.