Miguel Angel Lopez-Mejia, a 34-year-old Honduran national, was sentenced on March 17 after pleading guilty to illegally reentering the United States following a previous deportation, according to an announcement by United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by federal authorities to address illegal immigration and related offenses. Lopez-Mejia was found in the United States on October 16, 2025, without authorization after having been deported on July 15, 2022.
U.S. District Judge Darrel James Papillion sentenced Lopez-Mejia to time served in prison, one year of supervised release, and imposed a mandatory special assessment fee of $100. He was also ordered to be transferred into the custody of United States Customs and Border Protection for removal to Honduras.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, which aims to use all resources of the Department of Justice to address illegal immigration and combat cartels and transnational criminal organizations. The initiative brings together efforts from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood program.
Courcelle said he praised the work of United States Customs and Border Protection in investigating this case. Special Assistant United States Attorney Frederick Veters, Jr., from the General Crimes Unit, led the prosecution.
