Honduran Illegal Alien Sentenced for Illegal Reentry of Removed Alien

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - MIGUEL ANGEL LOPEZ-MEJIA ("LOPEZ-MEJIA"), age 34, was sentenced on March 17, 2026 after pleading guilty on January 20, 2026, to illegal reentry of a previously removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.

According to the charging document, LOPEZ-MEJIA, a Honduran national, was found in the United States on October 16, 2025, having reentered the United States, without authorization from the Attorney General of the United States, after being previously deported on July 15, 2022. U.S. District Judge Darrel James Papillion sentenced LOPEZ-MEJIA to an imprisonment term of time served, (1) year of supervised release and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.00. LOPEZ-MEJIA was also ordered to be transferred into the custody of United States Customs and Border Protection for removal to Honduras.

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 Courcelle praised the work of the United States Customs and Border Protection in investigating this case. Special Assistant United States Attorney Frederick Veters, Jr., of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.