Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 79 border-related cases this week, according to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The charges include assault on a federal officer, bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the United States after deportation, and importation of controlled substances.
The Southern District of California covers San Diego and Imperial counties and shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. This region includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, recognized as the world’s busiest land border crossing between San Diego and Tijuana.
The high volume of border-related crimes makes this district one of the busiest in the nation for federal prosecutions. In addition to these cases, the office also pursues proactive investigations into terrorism, organized crime, drug offenses, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking, and national security.
Among recent arrests:
On August 1, Stephanie Sanchez Portillo was arrested and charged with Personation in Immigration Matters after allegedly attempting to smuggle an unrelated child from Mexico into the U.S. through the San Ysidro Port of Entry using her own child’s American birth certificate.
On August 2, Edgard Uriel Urbina Jiron was arrested and charged with Transportation of Illegal Aliens after Border Patrol agents found him driving with an undocumented immigrant following a traffic stop.
On August 2, Jose Luis Garcia Cota was arrested at Otay Mesa Port of Entry and charged with Importation of a Controlled Substance when officers discovered 191 pounds of methamphetamine and 5.5 pounds of cocaine hidden in his vehicle.
On August 4, Jose Alejandro Valadez-Blancarte was arrested for Attempted Entry after Deportation when he was found hiding in a car trunk at Otay Mesa Port of Entry; he had previously been deported twice earlier this year.
Federal law enforcement is focusing immigration prosecutions on undocumented individuals engaged in criminal activity within the United States—such as those involved in drug or firearms crimes or who have serious criminal records or active warrants—as part of Operation Take Back America priorities. Authorities are also prioritizing cases against smugglers who pose risks to communities and law enforcement officers.
These cases were referred by multiple agencies including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), along with support from state and local law enforcement partners.
“Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law,” stated the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
