More than 400 immigration and border-related cases were filed by federal prosecutors in Texas and California during the past week.
Texas recorded 292 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases between Aug. 7 and Aug. 13, the Department of Justice said on Aug. 14.
The cases involve illegal immigrants and smugglers with convictions for theft, violent crimes and prior removals.
A Mexican national admitted involvement in a smuggling event with two minors, fled to Mexico and tried to reenter the United States to transport the children to Denver before being caught.
A Cuban national used a Texas ID belonging to another person and was found to have been removed in November of the prior year; he also carries robbery, theft and aggravated battery convictions that resulted in 17‑year, five‑year and six‑year sentences.
A U.S. citizen was charged with harboring 14 illegal immigrants discovered at his home.
California filed 116 border‑related cases in the same week, the DOJ reported on Aug. 14, including charges for reentry after deportation, drug importation and financial gain from smuggling.
A Mexican citizen was arrested for trafficking 180 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a vehicle during a CBP entry attempt.
Immigration Enforcement
These prosecutions stem from Operation Take Back America, launched by then‑Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in a March 2025 memorandum.
The operation seeks to deter illegal entry, dismantle transnational criminal cartels and create Homeland Security task forces targeting human smuggling networks.
At the Democratic National Committee summer meeting in Texas on Saturday, the committee approved resolutions to abolish or reform Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
DNC Chairman Ken Martin said Democrats believe the current ICE and CBP practices must end.
“Clearly, the one thing that unites Democrats, regardless of position on reform or abolition, is the belief that ICE and CBP should stop their current actions,” Martin said.
A resolution urges Congress to draft legislation banning ICE and to adopt immigration reforms that include pathways to citizenship.
Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters criticized the measure on X, stating that Democrats prioritize protecting violent illegal aliens over American families.
The Trump administration announced on Aug. 12 the creation of the Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force to curb visa exploitation through birth tourism.
The task force revoked more than 600 visas in a single month after reviewing data from the State Department and other agencies.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that elaborate birth tourism rings profit from exploiting America’s laws.
USCIS announced on Aug. 12 that it helped dismantle a decade‑long marriage fraud ring that arranged over 1,000 sham marriages, mainly involving Chinese nationals, to secure fraudulent immigration status.
