A Honduran national, Carlos Alberto Escobar-Loza, age 47, has been charged with re-entry of a removed alien in New Orleans. The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, David I. Courcelle, announced that Escobar-Loza was charged on January 21, 2026, following his discovery in the United States on December 26, 2025.
According to court documents, Escobar-Loza had previously been deported from the United States on July 2, 2012. He is accused of returning without authorization from the Attorney General.
If convicted under Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), Escobar-Loza could face up to two years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, up to one year of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle stated: “A bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.”
The case falls under Operation Take Back America. This initiative uses resources from the Department of Justice to address illegal immigration and aims to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime. It also involves collaboration with programs such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation into this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Carter K.D. Guice, Jr., from the General Crimes Unit, is leading the prosecution.
