Jose Manuel Cheno, a 55-year-old Mexican national, has been handed a 21-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to the crime of reentering the United States illegally following deportation, a violation spurred by a previous felony conviction. This update comes courtesy of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana which detailed Cheno's encounter with Jefferson Parish law enforcement on March 31, 2023.
Cheno's legal woes trace back to a 2005 conviction for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute marijuana in the District of Arizona. Removed from the country in early 2018, his presence in Jefferson Parish led to his re-arrest and eventual sentencing by U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance. To intensify their enforcement tactics, the United States Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with local law enforcement, has worked collaboratively to bring cases like Cheno's to closure. This particular conviction also requires Cheno to serve a term of supervised release following incarceration and to pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
The work of law enforcement agencies such as the United States Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office has not gone unrecognized. "U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the United States Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana the official announcement.
With Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon Maestri of the General Crimes Unit spearheading the prosecution, this case serves as a firm reminder of the consequences for those who try to illegally return to the United States after deportation, particularly with a felony conviction hanging over their history. The sentencing of Cheno reflects a judicial system resolved to strictly enforce immigration laws, as the United States grapples with to address continuing challenges of immigration and border security.
