A series of immigration enforcement actions across Texas this week included the arrest and deportation of a previously removed felon, the interception of a convicted sex offender at a border checkpoint, and a guilty plea in a federal drug trafficking case.

1. “Worst Of The Worst!”

ICE’s San Antonio field office claimed it arrested and deported Jose Ignacio Chavez-Bahena, a 49-year-old Mexican national described in an agency post as “Worst of the worst!” The post alleged he had convictions for felony assault and DUI and had recently been arrested for domestic violence. “Criminal aliens should self deport now or we will deport you,” the post stated.

 

The photo featured a man in a neon green shirt inside what appeared to be a federal facility. Federal officials have increasingly highlighted arrests of individuals with prior criminal convictions in recent social media posts.

Self-deportation is frequently promoted by statements from DHS and Secretary Kristi Noem. The federally operated CBP Home, once a mechanism for a tool for facilitating immigration into the United States, was updated after President Donald Trump’s return to office to help illegal aliens leave the country.

2. Falfurrias Fiend With Fishy Papers

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In a separate case, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael W. Banks posted that a 54-year-old previously deported Mexican national with a conviction for “Criminal Sexual Acts with a minor, Lewd Acts victim under 14” allegedly attempted to pass through the Falfurrias checkpoint on a commercial bus using what the agency chief claimed was a fraudulent U.S. permanent resident card.

The post stated that agents spotted discrepancies, ran his biometrics, and found he had served four years in prison and was a deported felon. He is facing prosecution for felony illegal reentry, according to the post.

 

Border Patrol included two photos but did not release the suspect’s name. The agency’s account did not provide court filings or additional evidence supporting the claims regarding the alleged fraudulent document or past conviction.

The incident comes one week after state and federal officials detailed a series of enforcement actions across Texas, including the denaturalization of a sex offender, as reported in last week’s Texas Takedown Weekly.

3. Remember The Alamo-Caine!

In another major development this week, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Texas announced that a 48-year-old U.S. citizen from Alamo admitted to transporting large quantities of cocaine across the border.

Marina Saenz pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine after authorities stopped her on June 11 in Live Oak County, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors claimed a K-9 alerted to her BMW SUV, where officers reported finding a hidden compartment in the rear hatch containing “29 bricks of cocaine weighing 35.5 kilograms.”

The release stated Saenz admitted she had picked up the drugs in Mexico, crossed through the Progreso Port of Entry, and was en route to North Carolina to deliver them for $10,000. She allegedly admitted to making previous trips involving similar amounts of cocaine, according to the announcement.

Saenz faces a minimum of ten years and up to life in federal prison when she is sentenced on February 24, 2026. She remains in custody.

The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Live Oak County Sheriff’s Office, according to the release.

This is the first edition of Texas Takedown Weekly to return to its traditional format since the federal government shutdown ended.

To read last week’s edition, click Texas Takedown Weekly: Citizenship Stripped From Sex Offender, K9 Tracks China SIA, El Paso THC Child Smuggling Bust