Noel Chinchilla-Avilez, a 26-year-old Honduran national, has been sentenced to 54 days in prison by Senior United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion. The sentencing results from Chinchilla-Avilez's failure to leave the United States after a removal order and for hindering his removal process.
Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus stated that Chinchilla-Avilez was initially ordered to be removed from the United States in 2023 but did not leave within the required 90-day period. In February 2025, when Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained him for removal, Chinchilla-Avilez managed to slip out of his handcuffs and attempted to escape.
The investigation into the case was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Scalera prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative by the Department of Justice aiming to address illegal immigration, eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from violent crime. The operation integrates resources and efforts from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
