Marlon Santos, a 36-year-old native of Honduras, was sentenced to imprisonment for illegally reentering the United States after being deported, according to a recent announcement by Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson. Santos, who encountered law enforcement in Orleans Parish on April 21, had previously been sent back to Honduras on December 21, 2018, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
United States District Judge Lance M. Africk delivered the sentence to Santos, mandating two years of incarceration followed by a year of supervised release, Santos' history with immigration authorities came back to the forefront during the proceedings, and his reentry was deemed in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
This case falls under the ambit of Operation Take Back America, an initiative led by the Justice Department aiming for the lofty goals of curtailing illegal immigration, dissolving drug cartels, and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and ensuring the safety of communities against violent crime. The operation unifies efforts across Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN), intertwining them in intent and purpose to confront these challenges head-on, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
In the wake of these events, Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson lauded the decisive role of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in investigating the matter, with Assistant United States Attorney Spiro G. Latsis leading the prosecution, here we see the cogs of justice turning, as law enforcement agencies collaborate to uphold the measures set by Operation Take Back America—an operation that has sparked both support and criticism in its aggressive stance against illegal immigration and the broader spectrum of organized crime, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
