United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana
04/13/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/13/2026 15:22
Brazilian Illegal Alien Indicted for Reentry Of Deported Alien
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - WALYSTTON HENRIQUE DE SOUZA ("DE SOUZA"), age 32, a native of Brazil, was indicted on April 9, 2026, for reentry of removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.
According to court documents, DE SOUZA, an illegal alien, was found in St. Tammany Parish on March 31, 2026. He had previously been convicted of violating 8 U.S.C. ยง 1326, Illegal Re-entry of Removed Alien and was removed back to Brazil on July 2, 2021.
If convicted, DE SOUZA faces a maximum penalty of two (2) years, followed by up to one (1) year of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Courcellereiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
U.S. Attorney Courcellepraised the work of the United States Customs and Border Patrol in investigating this matter. Special Assistant United States Attorney Frederick W. Veters Jr., of the General Crimes Unit oversees the prosecution.
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United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana published this content on April 13, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on April 13, 2026 at 21:22 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]