Jorge Luis Villanueva, a 35-year-old Honduran national, was sentenced on August 14, 2025, in New Orleans for illegal reentry after deportation. United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier imposed a sentence of time served, one year of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee following Villanueva’s guilty plea to violating Title 8, United States Code, Sections 1326(a) and 1326(b)(1).
According to court documents, Villanueva had previously been deported from the United States on September 11, 2013 before his recent unauthorized return.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America. The initiative brings together resources from the Department of Justice with the aim to address illegal immigration and related criminal activities by leveraging efforts from programs such as the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson stated: “I praise the work of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in investigating this matter.” Assistant United States Attorney Mary Katherine Kaufman prosecuted the case.
