Jorge Elpidio Erazo-Jimenez, a 35-year-old Honduran citizen living in Lewisburg without legal status, was sentenced to time served for the crime of reentry of a removed alien, according to a May 6 announcement from federal authorities. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed an immigration detainer on Erazo-Jimenez for his transfer to ICE administrative custody for removal proceedings.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to address violations of federal immigration laws involving individuals with prior deportations and criminal histories.
According to court documents and statements made in court, officers filed an ICE detainer for Erazo-Jimenez on June 30, 2025, after he was incarcerated at the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver on state-level criminal charges. He later pleaded guilty to domestic battery in Greenbrier County Circuit Court. ICE agents confirmed that Erazo-Jimenez is a citizen of Honduras who had previously been deported twice: once on December 19, 2011 near Sarita, Texas and again on December 9, 2016 near Roma, Texas.
Authorities said that Erazo-Jimenez did not possess identification documents permitting him legal status in the United States. He also never obtained consent from the Secretary of U.S. Homeland Security to reapply for admission following either prior removal nor sought other legal means of entry. His criminal history includes convictions for possession of methamphetamine and obstructing an officer with threats of harm.
United States Attorney Moore Capito commended the investigative work conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO). Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence while Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage prosecuted the case as part of a special unit within the U.S. Attorney’s Office focused on Operation Take Back America’s immigration enforcement objectives.
Operation Take Back America 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."
