Honduran National Indicted for Illegal Reentry After Prior Removal
Oscar Paz-Mejia, 33, of Honduras, was indicted in the Eastern District of Louisiana on one count of illegal reentry of a removed alien under 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a). The case triggers mandatory federal prosecution, potential imprisonment, and renewed removal proceedings once resolved.
foxnews.comNEW ORLEANS — Oscar Paz-Mejia, a 33-year-old native of Honduras, was indicted Tuesday for illegal reentry of a removed alien, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana announced.
Paz-Mejia faces a single count under Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a). The statute applies to noncitizens who have been previously removed from the United States and later reenter without permission. Federal law makes the offense a felony punishable by up to two years in prison for a first offense; prior criminal convictions or removal orders after aggravated felonies can increase the maximum to 20 years.
The indictment does not disclose the date of Paz-Mejia’s prior removal or the circumstances of his reentry. Once convicted, he will face sentencing in federal district court in New Orleans before a judge who must apply the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which treat illegal reentry as a distinct federal offense separate from any underlying state crimes.
Downstream, conviction will automatically restart removal proceedings under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Immigration and Customs Enforcement must obtain a new removal order or reinstate the prior one after criminal sentence completion. The case also requires the Executive Office for Immigration Review to track the outcome for any future applications for relief or protection.
Federal prosecutors must now prepare for trial or plea negotiations, while the Bureau of Prisons will assume custody if a sentence of incarceration is imposed.
This prosecution follows standard enforcement of Section 1326, which has produced thousands of annual indictments in border and interior districts since the statute’s last major amendment in 1996. The Department of Justice has prioritized such cases as part of its immigration enforcement docket in every administration for more than two decades.
The indictment was returned in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana and announced by U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
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