A Honduran national admitted guilt in a United States federal court for the charge of unlawful reentry into the country after being deported. Denis Ramon Flores Ortez, aged 40, faced the U.S. District Court in Gulfport, Mississippi, on April 16, 2025. He is scheduled for sentencing on August 19, 2025, and could receive a maximum prison term of two years. The sentence will be determined by a federal judge who will consider U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. After serving any prison sentence, Flores Ortez will be subject to Homeland Security removal proceedings.
Flores Ortez was discovered by U.S. Border Patrol officials on February 3, 2025, at the Harrison County Adult Detention Center in Gulfport. Record checks revealed that he was an illegal alien from Honduras, previously removed from the United States. After illegally entering the U.S. in 2004, Flores Ortez was granted a voluntary departure instead of removal. He reentered the country unlawfully in 2010 and was later apprehended by Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Jackson County. A removal order followed, and he was physically deported from the U.S. He managed to return unlawfully and was arrested again in Gulfport in 2025.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, Patrick A. Lemon, commended the cooperation of Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Border Patrol. Special Agent-in-Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans, Eric P. DeLaune, and Acting Chief Patrol Agent of the Border Patrol’s New Orleans Sector, Adam M. Calderon, were involved in the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris led the prosecution.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide effort by the Department of Justice aimed at combatting illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and enhancing community safety. The initiative draws on resources and coordination from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
