A 38-year-old Honduran national, Jose Castro Orellana, has been sentenced to 54 months in federal prison for illegally entering the United States without authorization. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Orellana pleaded guilty on September 4, 2025. U.S. District Judge Sim Lake handed down the sentence and noted that Orellana is not a U.S. citizen and is subject to a current removal order. He is expected to be removed from the country immediately after serving his prison term. During sentencing, it was revealed that Orellana had been entering and re-entering the United States unlawfully over the past two decades.
His criminal record includes felony convictions for domestic violence, evading arrest, and illegal reentry. Orellana was first removed from the United States in 2012 but returned twice without authorization. After being removed again in 2022, he was arrested in July following his release from state custody for a fourth domestic violence conviction.
Orellana will remain in custody until he is transferred to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
The investigation was conducted by Immigration Customs Enforcement – Enforcement Removal Operations, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Law prosecuted the case.
“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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.”
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas operates as part of the U.S. Department of Justice under the Attorney General and prosecutes federal crimes within its jurisdiction (official website). Its headquarters are located in Houston (official website), with additional offices across several cities including Galveston, Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen, and Brownsville (official website). The office covers 43 counties stretching from Houston to the Mexican border and serves a population exceeding nine million people (official website). The position of U.S. Attorney is filled through presidential appointment with Senate confirmation (official website).
The office works closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute crimes (official website) and employs more than 200 attorneys who handle both criminal prosecutions and civil cases involving government interests (official website).
Operation Take Back America represents one aspect of these efforts aimed at addressing illegal immigration and related criminal activity.
