May 2nd, 2025 U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico Weekly Immigration and Border Crimes Report

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced its immigration enforcement statistics for this week. These cases are prosecuted in partnership with the El Paso Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, along with Homeland Security Investigations El Paso, and assistance from other federal, state, and county agencies.

In the one-week period ending May 2, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico:

79 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326)

11 individuals were charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324)

12 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325)

130 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325) and 50 U.S.C. 797, violation of a military security regulation, arising from the newly established National Defense Area in New Mexico. Eighty two were in court in Las Cruces for speedy hearings this week. 

Many of the defendants charged pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1326 had prior criminal convictions for alien smuggling, felon in possession, criminal sexual contact, and DUI.

Protecting law enforcement officers is a key part of border security. During this time period, two plainclothes Border Patrol agents near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, attempted to stop a suspicious Jeep Liberty believed to be involved in human smuggling. After stopping the vehicle, the agents questioned the driver, Roberto Jaciel Vazquez-Sanchez, and asked to see his phone, where they observed evidence suggesting involvement in smuggling activity. When confronted, Sanchez attempted to lock his phone and physically resisted the agents, pushing, kicking, and striking one agent in the face during the struggle. The agents subdued Sanchez, placed him in handcuffs, and transported him to the Santa Teresa Border Patrol Station.

From the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025 through the end of February 2025, 40 El Paso Sector Border Patrol Agents have been assaulted, following 103 assaults in Fiscal Year 2024. U.S. Border Patrol is collaborating closely with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office to ensure that those who assault federal officers are brought to justice. This interagency cooperation is crucial in protecting the men and women who serve on the frontlines of our nation's border security efforts and in deterring future attacks on law enforcement personnel.

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.

These statistics represent prosecutions by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico only. The numbers do not include individuals apprehended by immigration enforcement officials and subjected solely to administrative process.

Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for the District of New Mexico. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.

The District of New Mexico consists of 33 counties and shares 180 miles of international border with Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from Albuquerque and Las Cruces work directly with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to prosecute immigration-related and other federal offenses

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