Two Honduran nationals, Arlen Saul Castillo, 29, and Jonathan Esteban Osario Lopez, 32, pleaded guilty to illegal re-entry into the United States. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo. Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford accepted their pleas and sentenced both men to time served before they were transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maeve E. Huggins stated that both Castillo and Osario Lopez are citizens of Honduras without legal status in the country. They were encountered by Border Patrol agents on October 8, 2025, in Erie County, New York, and did not have documentation allowing them to be legally present in the United States. According to Huggins, Saul Castillo had previously been removed from the United States in December 2018, while Osario Lopez had been removed twice in 2013.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America. "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."
The investigation was conducted by Customs and Border Protection’s U.S. Border Patrol under Acting Chief Patrol Agent James D’Amato and Homeland Security Investigations led by Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan.
