7-05-2025 10:55am

DOJ District of New Mexico Weekly Immigration and Border Crimes Report WE July 3, 2025

Chris Edwards Editor

The United States Attorney’s Office under the direction of Ryan Ellison 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 July 3, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico:

32 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326)
3 individuals were charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324)
25 individuals were charged this week withIllegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325)
29 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325), violation of a military security regulation (50 U.S.C. 797) and Entering Military, Naval, or Coast Guard Property (18 U.S.C. 1382), arising from the newly established National Defense Area in New Mexico.

Many of the defendants charged pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1326 had prior criminal convictions for aggravated assault, burglary, possession of a stolen weapon, and drug trafficking.

In one significant case, Jose Antonio Adrian Roman, a Mexican national, was sentenced to the statutory maximum sentence of fifteen years for being an alien in possession of a firearm case. On November 13, 2023, Roman, who had a history of domestic violence, killed his girlfriend and her 15-year-old son with a stolen shotgun. When law enforcement responded to a 911 call, Roman rammed a deputy’s vehicle with his truck before fleeing on foot. He was apprehended two days later.

In another case, Yavneel Ivan Pinon-Mendoza, a Mexican national, was sentenced to 84 months in prison for illegal reentry, his second conviction for this conduct. On July 22, 2024, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents encountered Pinon-Mendoza at the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Valencia County after conducting jail roster checks. A records check revealed Pinon-Mendoza had a lengthy criminal history, including shooting from a motor vehicle, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and domestic violence.

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.