A Honduran national has been dealt a six-month sentence for an unlawful return to the United States after deportation. Wilian Serrano-Moreira, 34, pled guilty to a violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), which pertains to the criminal offense of reentering the country as a previously removed alien without obtaining permission from the U.S. Attorney General. The U.S. Attorney’s Office reported that Serrano, having been deported on July 17, 2019, was discovered inside U.S. borders on April 15, 2023.
The case falls under Operation Take Back America, an initiative by the Department of Justice designed to effectively repel undocumented immigration, and as part of the larger effort, to dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, their goal is to also shield communities from individuals committing violent crimes. Additionally, U.S. District Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown ordered Serrano to pay a mandatory special assessment fee of \$100 and sentenced him to one year of supervised release following his time served.
ICE, alongside the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, was credited by Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson for their investigative work on this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon M. Maestri of the General Crimes Unit is supervising the prosecution.
Serrano's sentence is reflective of a broader, nationwide push against illegal immigration and the criminal enterprises that often navigate to employ it. Operation Take Back America combines task forces and partnerships, such as the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), to streamline efforts to adequately meet these challenges head-on. In Serrano's case, his six months in custody, which he has already served, culminate the sentence handed down, positioning him to eventually put forth to step back into society under supervised release conditions.
