Border Chaos: Texas Courts Swamped

⏱ 3 min read

SAN ANTONIO, TX – Federal prosecutors in West Texas are facing a tidal wave of new cases. Over just one week – March 6th to 12th – they filed 250 immigration-related charges and criminal complaints. The surge is hitting the courts hard, with U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons’ office targeting both the smugglers (“coyotes”) and individuals with lengthy criminal records repeatedly crossing the border illegally.

The most immediate flashpoint? Fredy Alberto Guevara-Maldonado, a Honduran national arrested near Eagle Pass. This wasn’t a simple apprehension. Guevara-Maldonado allegedly kicked a Border Patrol K-9, then escalated to a full-on assault, attempting to disarm the agent and attacking their groin. He’s now facing federal charges for assaulting a federal officer – a charge that carries serious weight.

But Guevara-Maldonado is just one piece of the puzzle. Stephane Mujinga Elonga, a Congolese national, is accused of sneaking back into the US via Maine in January after being deported to Canada in 2019. Elonga isn’t new to the system: a 2015 assault with a weapon, a 2016 DUI, and an escape charge already stain his record. Then there’s Rene Lima-Morales, an El Salvadorian deported twice before, nabbed near Maverick. In 2013, he landed a 12-year sentence for aggravated sexual assault. Add to that burglary, property theft and driving with a forged license plate.

The grim roll call continues. Eduardo Henrique Castron, also Honduran, arrested near Maverick, previously deported in June 2025, carries a Wyoming conviction for second-degree criminal sexual conduct, alongside a history of drug use and domestic violence. These aren’t isolated incidents; they represent a mounting challenge for federal law enforcement struggling to manage the flow across the southern border and the associated criminal activity.