Federal prosecutors filed 263 cases in a single week. All the cases involve border crimes. They were filed between June 19 and June 25, 2026.

Two cases hit close to home. Both are from Starr County.

Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck runs the Southern District of Texas. His office filed all 263 cases. The district covers 43 counties. More than 10 million people live there. It covers 44,000 square miles. Offices are in Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen, and Laredo.

Of the 263 people charged, 223 face counts for being here without papers. Fifty-six came in for the first time. The other 167 came back after being sent home before. Most of the 223 had past convictions for drugs, violent crimes, or immigration offenses. Twenty-nine more face human smuggling charges. The rest face other border crimes.

Two of the defendants were found right here in Starr County.

The first is Rosendo Castelan-Reyes. He is from Mexico. He has a past conviction for aggravated assault. That is a violent crime. Agents sent him home on October 30, 2018. He came back without permission. He was found near La Grulla. La Grulla sits on the Rio Grande in Starr County.

The second is Angel Javier Cabrera-Rivero. He is from Cuba. He has a past conviction for drug trafficking. Agents sent him home in December 2025. He came back in less than a year. He was found near Cuevitas. Cuevitas is in Starr County.

Both men face up to 20 years in federal prison. The charge is felony reentry after removal. They were sent out of the country. They came back. That is a federal crime.

These cases are part of Operation Take Back America. The DOJ launched this program all over the country. The goal is more border arrests and charges.

Both men from Starr County face federal charges. Their cases are still in court. Neither has been convicted.

A criminal charge is not proof of guilt. Both men are presumed innocent until a jury decides otherwise.

The Southern District of Texas is one of the busiest federal court districts in the country. Every week, new cases come in. Every week, agents from ICE, Border Patrol, the FBI, the DEA, and other agencies send files to the U.S. Attorney's office.

La Grulla and Cuevitas are both small towns right on the river. People who live there see border crossings happen. They know these names. When someone with a violent past shows up without papers near their town, it matters to them.

Aggravated assault is not a minor crime. It means a person hurt someone badly or used a weapon. Castelan-Reyes carried that conviction when he came back in 2026. He had been sent home in 2018. That is eight years before he turned up near La Grulla again.

Cabrera-Rivero's case moves even faster. He was removed in December 2025. Agents found him near Cuevitas less than a year later. His past is in drug trafficking. The feds say he came back knowing the risk.

When someone is convicted of felony reentry, a judge can send them to federal prison for up to 20 years. Most sentences fall lower, but the range is steep. The law is meant to stop people with serious criminal histories from coming back.

The 263 cases from this week are not unusual. The Southern District files cases like these every week. The week before, 160 more were filed. The week before that, more still.

This is ongoing. It will not stop next week.

All information comes from a Department of Justice press release dated June 26, 2026.