United States Attorney David I. Courcelle announced on April 17 that Federico Mendez-Francisco, a Guatemalan national and convicted felon, was sentenced to twenty-four months in prison for illegally re-entering the United States after removal. The sentencing was handed down by United States District Court Judge Brandon S. Long on April 14.
This case highlights ongoing federal efforts to address illegal immigration and related offenses in Southeast Louisiana. The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana enforces federal laws and prosecutes criminal cases to protect residents of the region, according to the official website.
Mendez-Francisco, age 44, previously pled guilty to illegal re-entry of a removed alien under Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a). He had also been convicted of Domestic Abuse-Child under 13 Present in Jefferson Parish on May 15, 2024. Authorities had previously removed him from the country three times: November 3, 2005; February 11, 2010; and July 3, 2024. Law enforcement located him again in Jefferson Parish on May 2, 2025 without authorization from either the Attorney General or Secretary of Homeland Security to return.
Courcelle said he praised "the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations ('ICE-ERO') in investigating this matter." Assistant United States Attorney Duane A. Evans is prosecuting the case.
The court ordered that Mendez-Francisco’s sentence be served consecutively with any other sentence he may receive. Upon release from prison he must serve three years supervised release and pay a $100 special assessment cost.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide Department of Justice initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and eliminating transnational criminal organizations through coordinated law enforcement efforts such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana operates under appointment by the President with Senate approval according to its official website. As chief federal law enforcement officer for Southeast Louisiana according to its official website, Courcelle leads efforts that include prosecution of criminal cases as well as civil litigation involving debt collection for the federal government.
