NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JOSE JOVANY CRUZ-HERNANDEZ (“CRUZ-HERNANDEZ”) , age 41, a native of Honduras, pleaded guilty to illegal reentry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier on July 30, 2026, announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle.
According to court records, CRUZ-HERNANDEZ was previously removed from the United States on five occasions: April 14, 2011; August 10, 2011; February 25, 2013; July 8, 2013; and June 1, 2015. CRUZ-HERNANDEZ was later found in the Eastern District of Louisiana by an agent of the United States Border Patrol on March 16, 2026, having reentered the United States without authorization from the Attorney General of the United States or the Department of Homeland Security.
CRUZ-HERNANDEZ was sentenced to time served. He has been in federal custody since March 16, 2026.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the United States Border Patrol in investigating this matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon Kippers of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
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Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Eastern District of Louisiana — U.S. Department of Justice press release.