United States Attorneys stationed along the U.S./Mexico border charged 1,238 people with immigration-related criminal offenses during the past week. Most of the criminal cases involved illegal aliens charged with unlawful entry, while some cases involved U.S. citizens and legal residents who allegedly engaged in Alien Smuggling.
During the week ending May 30, the Department of Justice filed criminal cases in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas. The most significant number of cases were filed in the Western District of Texas, where more than 400 were presented before federal judges in the district.
Although the federal cases involved immigration related cases, several defendants were found to have committed other serious criminal violations in the past. CBP officers arrested Mexican national Sabino Renteria-Alvarado on May 28 at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry after he attempted to enter through the pedestrian entrance and allegedly presented the Customs and Border Protection officer with a false claim of Legal Permanent Resident status.
After further investigation, agents determined Renteria-Alvarado had been previously removed in 2024 through Nogales, Arizona. His criminal record included a 15-year prison sentence for a sexual assault of a minor conviction in 2017. Renteria-Alvarado is currently being charged with illegal re-entry — a felony under U.S. Immigration law.
Two United States citizens were arrested and charged in Del Rio, Texas, in separate failed smuggling attempts. Nancy Anna Gwyn, of Houston, is suspected of smuggling three illegal aliens in her vehicle after agents stopped her just outside the city. Anastasia Lee Daneill Godfrey, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was arrested by Border Patrol agents at a permanent highway immigration checkpoint after two illegal aliens were found in the trunk of a sedan Godfrey was driving.
The United States Attorney’s office in the Southern District of Texas reported 281 criminal cases within the district. According to U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei, most of the illegal aliens facing charges for re-entry into the United States have prior felony convictions for narcotics, violent crime, sexual offenses, and previous immigration crimes.
One notable prosecution in the district facing prosecution is Carlos Enrique Gonzalez-Pena, an alien present in the United States with a work visa, who was allegedly found in possession of child sexual abuse material. The charges filed against him allege that he had visited the darknet, where he viewed child pornography sites. A forensic examination of his computer allegedly resulted in the discovery of two video files involving a female child approximately four to six years of age, one of which showed her being sexually assaulted. According to U.S. Attorney Ganjei, if convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
Adding to the cases filed in Texas, 257 defendants were charged in Arizona, 152 defendants face border-related charges in New Mexico, and 135 were brought to court in the Southern District of California.
The cases are part of President Trump’s Operation Take Back America. This nationwide initiative marshals the full resources of the federal government to address illegal entries along the southwest border, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
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