First Week of February Brings Over 240 New Immigration Cases to Western District of Texas

SAN ANTONIO, TX – Federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas filed 242 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from Jan. 30 to Feb. 5, announced U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. Charges were brought against human smugglers and illegal aliens with past convictions for child sexual assault, violent crimes, DWIs, and multiple prior removals.

Among the new cases, a Mexican national with multiple felonies was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents near Val Verde. Juan Bernardo Cardenas-Ledesma, who has been deported three times, is charged with illegal re-entry and has previously been convicted of grand theft auto, lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, and hit and run resulting in injury or death.

Mexican national Andres Campos-Martinez was detained by ICE after being booked in the Williamson County Jail in November. In March 2020, Campos-Martinez was put on ten years of deferred adjudication after committing the offense of aggravated sexual assault of a child in Travis County. He was removed to Mexico six months later in September 2020. On Tuesday, a motion to revoke his probation was denied by a Travis County district judge.

USBP agents arrested Honduran national Jose Mario David-Sauzo aka Raymundo Martinez near Maverick. David-Sauzo is also charged with illegal re-entry, having been deported five times, the last being in September 2024. His prior felony convictions include possession of a bludgeon and obstruction of justice, burglary of a dwelling with an explosive, and second-degree forgery of a public record.

On Wednesday, Mexican national Juan Gabriel Amezquita-Fabian attempted to enter the U.S. via the pedestrian lane at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry and allegedly presented a counterfeit State of Texas Birth Certificate along with a valid Texas ID card bearing the name, date of birth and photo of a different individual. A criminal complaint alleges Amezquita-Fabian stated he was a U.S. citizen and was returning home to El Paso after visiting family in Juarez, Mexico. Further inspection allegedly led to Amezquita-Fabian admitting to having lived in the U.S. illegally for approximately 30 years and that he paid $600 for the birth certificate and ID card. Amezquita-Fabian has been removed from the U.S. three times, the most recent being Dec. 15, 2025, following his fourth DUI conviction.

An El Paso man with five prior convictions was arrested at the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry and charged with alien smuggling. A criminal complaint alleges that Ronnie Oswaldo Carreon claimed he was the sole occupant of a vehicle that belonged to his sister, he had been living in Mexico, and he was traveling to visit his mother in El Paso. The complaint alleges that an X-ray of the vehicle depicted a person laying down between the back seat and trunk area, and during a secondary inspection, Customs and Border Protection officers discovered a female concealed in the cargo area underneath the floor panel.

Victor Eduardo De La Fuente, who was convicted of conspiracy to transport aliens in 2024, is again charged with alien smuggling after he was arrested Tuesday by USBP agents in El Paso. A criminal complaint alleges De La Fuente is the owner of a vehicle depicted in a TikTok video which showed the transfer of individuals from another vehicle to his. The complaint alleges that De La Fuente claims to be a U.S. citizen but lives in Juarez and that he had previously transported 10 illegal aliens for a fee of $100 per alien.

Jesus Emanuel Zendejas-Ovalle, also a Mexican national, was released to ICE Enforcement Removal Operations custody from the Bexar County Jail on Thursday. Zendejas-Ovalle had been serving a three-year sentence after being convicted of felon in possession of a firearm in 2023. He was previously removed from the U.S. in November 2014.

Mexican national Alberto Guebara-Urbina was also released to ICE ERO on Thursday. He was encountered at the Comal County Jail on Sept. 1, 2025, after he was arrested for a DWI. Guebara-Urbina was last removed from the U.S. to Mexico in 2007. In 2003, he was convicted of assault in the first degree and sentenced to five years of confinement.

These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including ICE, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

These 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 immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.