Jorge Luis Villanueva, a 35-year-old Honduran national, was sentenced on August 14, 2025, for illegal reentry into the United States after having been previously deported. The sentencing took place in New Orleans before United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier.
Villanueva had pleaded guilty to violating Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a) and Section 1326(b)(1). He received a sentence of time served, one year of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
According to court documents, Villanueva reentered the country after being deported on September 11, 2013.
The case falls under Operation Take Back America, which is described as "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)."
Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson said: "praised the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in investigating this matter." Assistant United States Attorney Mary Katherine Kaufman of the General Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
