NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – MIGUEL SANTOS-MEZA (“SANTOS-MEZA”) , age 50, pled guilty on October 29, 2026, to illegal reentry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. His sentencing is set before U.S. District Judge Barry W. Ashe on December 3, 2026.
According to the indictment, on or about August 24, 2026, in the Eastern District of Louisiana, SANTOS-MEZA , an alien, was found in the United States after having been deported and removed therefrom on or about September 9, 2016, without the approval of the Attorney General of the United States or his designated successor, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, having expressly consented to the defendant’s reapplication for admission into the United States.
SANTOS-MEZA faces a maximum penalty of up to two (2) years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to one (1) year of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the Homeland Security Investigations in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Lorcan L. Connick of the General Crimes Unit is handling 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.
* * *
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Eastern District of Louisiana — U.S. Department of Justice press release.