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The following two news releases provide information about previous and ongoing operations at the southern border.
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico Weekly Immigration and Border Crimes Report
Friday, March 7, 2025
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 March 7, 2025, the United States Attorney’s Office brought the following criminal charges in New Mexico:
- 52 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Reentry After Deportation (8 U.S.C. 1326)
- 8 individuals were charged this week with Alien Smuggling (8 U.S.C. 1324)
- 23 individuals were charged this week with Illegal Entry (8 U.S.C. 1325)
In one significant case, Isaias David Jose and Tomas Mateo Gaspar were charged with hostage taking and harboring illegal aliens after the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office executed a search warrant at a residence in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Agents found 10 illegal aliens in the residence, including the victim, who told agents he had been held in a locked room and told that if his family did not pay an $18,000 ransom he would be turned over to the “Mexican mafia.” The victim’s family reported the threat to the FBI, resulting in the search warrant and rescue of the victim. Additional illegal aliens found in the residence confirmed that they too had been threatened and locked in the residence.
In another significant investigation, criminal complaints were filed charging Jose Ruiz-Gamez, Uzziel Carmona-Lopez and Donaciano Carmona-Lopez, with being an alien in possession of a firearm following a traffic stop by an officer from the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo Police Department. During the traffic stop, the officer located two firearms. All three men are Mexican nationals illegally present in the United States.
In a third case, Roberto Rodrigo Velazquez-Lopez was charged by criminal complaint after he fled from a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint with four illegal aliens in the vehicle, including two individuals concealed in the trunk.
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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.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Secures 14-Year Sentence for Arizona Drug Trafficker
Monday, March 10, 2025
ALBUQUERQUE – An Arizona man was sentenced to 14 years in prison for drug trafficking and firearms offenses following his arrest at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in New Mexico in 2023.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, on April 27, 2023, David Maldonado, 44, entered a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint on U.S. Highway 70, west of Alamogordo, New Mexico. A Border Patrol canine alerted to the presence of illegal substances in Maldonado‘s vehicle.
Upon further inspection, agents discovered multiple illegal substances in Maldonado‘s backpack, including methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, psychedelic mushrooms, and marijuana. Agents also found a handgun, which was later determined to be stolen, and 69 rounds of ammunition. Maldonado, who was previously convicted of numerous felonies, is prohibited from possessing firearms.
Upon his release from prison, Maldonado will be subject to five years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Towanda R. Thorne-James, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration El Paso Division, made the announcement today.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case with assistance from U.S. Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Davon Aragon Martinez is prosecuting the case.
