U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico Weekly Immigration and Border Crimes Report

ALBUQUERQUE – Today, 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 June 18, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico:

• 42 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326)
• 4 individuals were charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324)
• 31 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325)
• 31 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 assault, drug trafficking, and illegal reentry.

In one significant case, James Casady Cangro, a key figure in a Sinaloa Cartel-linked drug and firearms trafficking ring tied to white supremacist gangs, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for his role in distributing fentanyl, methamphetamine, and illegal firearms in Albuquerque.

In another case Kervin Castellanos-Buroz was charged by criminal complaint with escape from custody. On July 11, Customs and Border Protection agents apprehended Castellanos-Buroz for illegal reentry near Mount Cristo Rey and placed him in the back of a CBP vehicle. A short time later, when an agent opened the vehicle door, Castellanos-Buroz jumped out and ran toward the river in an attempt to return to Mexico. Agents pursued him into the water, where an altercation ensued before they were able to detain him. 

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.