In a straightforward ruling that underscores the ongoing debate about immigration policy and enforcement, two men have been sentenced after being convicted of illegally reentering the United States following deportation. Hugo Henry Hernandez-Bonilla, a 49-year-old Salvadoran national, was handed a sentence of time served, tantamount to about four months, and will be removed from the country once more. According to a statement by United States Attorney David Metcalf, as reported by the U.S. Department of Justice, Hernandez-Bonilla had previously been deported in September 2011 but was arrested last July by the Lancaster City (Pa.) Bureau of Police.
After serving his sentence, the Salvadoran national, Hernandez-Bonilla, reentered the U.S. and, having been found driving under the influence, is currently facing deportation again. Also sentenced was Noel Velasquez-Basurto, a 33-year-old Mexican national, who received a similar sentence of time served that equated to approximately four months, identified by ICE in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, earlier this year after his initial removal from the U.S. near Nogales, Arizona, in October 2013.
The enforcement actions fall under the larger initiative dubbed "Operation Take Back America," focused on intensifying efforts against illegal immigration and the eradication of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). These particular cases were flagged as part of the integrated approach that combines resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
With time served noted, Velasquez-Basurto, upon completing his prison sentence, was ordered by United States District Judge Paul S. Diamond to be removed from the United States last week. Assistant United States Attorneys Amanda McCool, Brittany Jones, and Lindsey Mills were reported as the prosecutors for these cases by the Department of Justice, highlighting the dedicated efforts toward what many view as a tough stand on the reentry of previously deported individuals.
