El Salvadoran national Lorenzo Alexander Benitez, 40, has been sentenced to two years of probation for illegal reentry into the United States, following a guilty plea. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, United States District Judge Susie Morgan issued the sentencing yesterday.
Driving on Interstate 610 in New Orleans, Benitez was encountered by law enforcement on April 29, which led to the revelation of his reentry after a prior deportation on July 27, 2018. Despite the complexity of immigration issues, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans praised Customs and Border Patrol's work in investigating the matter, highlighting the outcomes that can stem from a system besieged by controversial policies and heated national debate.
Assistant United States Attorney Paul J. Hubbell, who led the prosecution, comes from the General Crimes Unit, and his involvement in this and similar cases points to an ongoing focus of the federal government on immigration violations. With the sentencing concluded, Benitez now faces the conditions set forth by the probation, according to the same press release.
