Manuel Najera-Garcia, a Mexican citizen and illegal alien, has been charged with federal firearm crimes, according to Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham. On February 26, 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Najera-Garcia on one count of illegal immigrant firearm possession and one count of felony firearm possession.
Najera-Garcia made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Rebecca Rutherford on March 26, 2025, where she ordered his imprisonment. According to the indictment, Najera-Garcia acquired a.38-caliber handgun on December 22, 2024, following his 2012 felony conviction. Following his felony conviction, Najera-Garcia returned to Mexico but allegedly re-entered the United States before obtaining the handgun.
An indictment is only an allegation of criminal behavior, not evidence, and Najera-Garcia is deemed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in federal prison on each count. According to the news release, the investigation was undertaken by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ Dallas Field Division and the Dallas Police Department.
Ted Hocter, an assistant US attorney, is prosecuting the case. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, the Department of Justice’s broad effort to combat illegal immigration, dismantle cartels and multinational criminal organizations, and safeguard communities from violent crime.
