The presiding U.S. criminal statute that defines the word alien is the Immigration and Nationality Act. It spells out how a person who attempts to re-enter the country or who is found here after having been removed may be charged with illegal re-entry. The alien must have been previously been deported, excluded from, have departed or been denied entry to the U.S. to be able to be accused of illegal re-entry.

An alien who is convicted of three or greater misdemeanors for crimes against others or drug-related offenses or a nonaggravated felony may be required to spend up to 10 years in prison. They may be ordered to pay fines as well.

The maximum sentence that an individual may face for entering this country illegally is 20 years in prison. There are enhanced penalties associated with the illegal re-entry of a suspected terrorist or alien with certain criminal convictions on their record.

If you've been accused of illegally entering the United States, then you're likely facing the possibility of having to spend several years in prison in addition to being removed from the country once again once your sentence has been completed. An attorney in Edinburg can advise you of your rights in your Texas immigration case to include alternatives to incarceration.

On a recent Saturday morning, a team comprised of Border Patrol agents and Sheriff's deputies recovered an enormous amount of marijuana from an abandoned SUV. They weighed it and realized that it weighed approximately 1,127 pounds. No snack foods were reported to be in the van, so it is presumed that those must have shipped separately.

The post on social media showed a definite sense of humor. It had hashtags like #yourIDishere, #buds, #lostandfound, #weedliketotalk, and #jointoperation. It also included affirmation that all of the authorities were very friendly and would enjoy a friendly conversation with the driver. So far, the driver has not availed themselves of the opportunity to go get their wallet and ID and has not filed a lost and found claim.

If you are facing charges for a drug-related crime, an attorney experienced in criminal defense can help. Don't wait to reach out to learn more about your legal options.

Their data shows that there were over 200 human trafficking cases that were filed across the U.S. in 2018. At least 36 of those criminal cases were initiated by territorial or state prosecutors. The other 171 were brought by federal prosecutors. Some had to do with labor trafficking. Most were related to sex trafficking though.

As many as 346 defendants were convicted on federal human trafficking charges in 2018. At least 45 individuals were convicted of this crime here in Texas. This compares to an average of seven convictions in any other state or territory. While at least 97% of all federal convicts were ordered to pay restitution, only six of those prosecuted by the state of Texas were ordered to do the same.

If there's anything that you should take away from this report, it's that both state and federal prosecutors have invested additional time and monetary resources into tracking down suspected human traffickers in recent years. It's also important to note that their conviction rates are increasing the more cases of this sort that they handle.

This is why you need to consult with a human trafficking attorney who will put up an aggressive defense if you've been accused of such a crime here in Edinburg. They can advise you of your rights in your case.

Authorities were alerted to a vehicle in the motel parking lot that was parked across three spaces. They approached the vehicle and saw a man sitting in the driver's seat. The authorities talked with him and realized that he was in possession of methamphetamine.

As it turned out, there were three people in the motel room, bring the total number of people to five, in addition to the authorities who were investigating. Two of the five people had open warrants, with one of the warrants being based on possession of a controlled substance.

Upon searching the motel room, the authorities found more methamphetamine, more Xanax and marijuana. They also found a firearm and a scale. All five of the people were taken into custody, with a variety of charges being filed.

This was a dramatic case. Of course, every drug crime case is different. There are many things that affect both charges and consequences, including the types of drugs involved, the amounts of drugs involved and whether those accused of a drug crime are facing accusations of drug possession or accusations of intent to sell the drugs.

One DWI case that made headlines across Texas recently involved both of those circumstances. A 36-year-old man was arrested and charged with DWI. He had been charged with two previous DWI offenses, making this his third. Additionally, he is accused of injuring two Texas police officers.

However, the man drove straight through the intersection, hitting the officers. The officers suffered minor injuries. The accident slowed the progress of the crates, and the transport company had to alter their schedule and estimated time of arrival at the cruise terminal.

Many DWI cases involve people who have had prior convictions and injuries to others. Each DWI case is unique and has a variety of factors that affect the exact charges that will be filed and what penalties are prospectively on the table. All of those factors need to be looked at closely in order to configure an effective defense.

One recent drug crime in the news involved someone originally brought to the attention of authorities by way of a car accident. The man involved, a former Mexican police officer, was driving in a 2007 Ford Explorer SUV on Interstate 40 and almost hit the vehicle a trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety was in. The trooper, confronting the man about that, became very suspicious of the man and asked to search his vehicle.

Fentanyl is synthetic opioid. Texas, like most states, has a serious problem with opioid users. Fentanyl is often combined by drug dealers with hard drugs like heroin, cocaine, MDMA and methamphetamine. Naturally, authorities are eager to crack down on its distribution.

Under questioning, the man said that he had brought the drug from California and was taking it to Florida. He said that he had been paid $6,000 to transport it, and had done the same thing on a previous occasion.

Sometimes, drugs are discovered by accident while intrepid police officers are busily investigating something else. Recently, officers were responding to the theft of backpacks from several people who were at a water park. Those backpacks included items like an Apple Watch and cellphones, with the total value of the items being $4,869.

There, the officers conducted surveillance, and were able to affirm that the occupants of the home were individuals who had been observed at the water park. Based on that, the officers planned a raid to retrieve the cellphones, the Apple Watch and the backpacks and reunite them with their owners.

During the raid, the officers found a lot of cash, a gun and a substantial quantity of narcotics packaged for distribution. They then were able to charge one of the occupants with possession of a controlled substance.

Even one drink can put someone in an impaired condition, which is why anyone planning to drink at all should arrange for a designated driver or be prepared to use Uber or other ride hailing service before they start. Many things affect how impaired a person gets after each drink, including their body weight, their gender and the amount of food they've eaten.

Additionally, there can be still more trouble for a person who has a passenger under age 15 while driving while intoxicated. If that happens, the driver can lose their license for 180 days, be required to pay a fine of up to $10,000 and be sentenced to as much as two years in jail. That is why anyone accused of drunk driving should consult an experienced attorney immediately.

Despite that, many people are stopped and arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in Texas every day. That happens in big cities and small rural areas, with police setting up what are called sobriety checkpoints in order to stop vehicles at an array of locations. These checkpoints, as their name implies, exist to give police officers an opportunity to determine if drivers are under the influence. To do so successfully, they may focus on vehicles that seem to be driven too fast, are driven erratically or otherwise appear to be driven in an unsafe manner.

A Breathalyzer or other means of establishing a driver's blood alcohol content (BAC) can also be used. If the driver's BAC is above the legal limit, that can affect the charges that are filed against them and the legal strategy that they will need to employ in order to address those charges in court. Of course, there are many other factors in addition to the driver's BAC that will affect the legal strategy that the driver will need to use.

When you work with a criminal defense attorney you will be able to understand all of the following:

• The charges levied against you
• The defenses to those charges you can use
• The plea bargains that can be offered
• What you can expect following a trial or conviction

A defense attorney can also work towards having the charges against you either dropped or reduced. This takes a lot of work and negotiating with the prosecutor. Someone not skilled in the law will be unable to handle this themselves.

Should you be convicted of the crime, an attorney can help negotiate a lighter sentence with the court, making sure you are not in jail for years on end or issued a hefty fine.

There's no reason to represent yourself in a criminal case. You don't know the law. You don't know the court system and you aren't trained on how to argue a case correctly. When you hire a criminal defense attorney, you are putting your rights in the hands of a capable and trusted person.

Data published by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin in 2016 showed that there were 234,000 victims of labor trafficking in Texas then. There were approximately 79,000 minor sex trafficking victims.

Any individual who lures a child under the age of 18 into the commercial sex trade may be charged with child sex trafficking. Anyone who uses coercion, fraud or force to get an adult to work as a prostitute, at a massage parlor, a brothel or a strip club may be changed with adult sex trafficking.

No one should be defrauded, coerced or forced into working in the manufacturing, hospitality, agriculture or in housekeeping no matter whether they're a minor or an adult. Anyone who places someone in such a role against their will may be charged with child or adult labor trafficking.

Officials generally urge people to look for signs of human trafficking, including evidence that someone works long hours, has a schedule that's controlled by someone else or lives at their job site. If an individual has a persistent untreated illness or pain, is malnourished and has poor hygiene, that may also be considered a sign.

Anyone who has a limited ability to speak English, is paid on a limited basis or has limited access to their own identification paperwork may be suspected of being a trafficking victim.

Real human relationships take on many different forms. What you and another person may consent to may be suspicious to someone else. A consensual agreement could be misunderstood. However, human trafficking is taken very seriously by law enforcement agencies here in Edinburg and throughout Texas. Because of this, individuals who are accused of this crime should consult a human trafficking attorney who can put up an aggressive defense on their behalf.