Carlos Alberto Escobar-Loza, a 47-year-old native of Honduras, pleaded guilty on March 18 to illegal re-entry of a removed alien, according to U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle. Sentencing is scheduled before U.S. District Judge Guidry on April 22.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by federal authorities to address repeated unlawful entries into the United States by individuals previously deported.
Court records show that Escobar-Loza was found in the United States on December 26, 2025, after having been previously deported on July 2, 2012. He was located in the Eastern District of Louisiana following an arrest by local law enforcement. Immigration officials confirmed his identity through biometric data and records checks and determined he had unlawfully re-entered the country after prior removal.
Escobar-Loza has been encountered by U.S. immigration authorities multiple times since about 2002 for entering without admission or parole. An immigration judge ordered him removed from the United States in October 2003 after he failed to appear for a hearing. Between approximately 2005 and 2012, he was again apprehended several times following arrests by local law enforcement; his prior removal order was reinstated each time and he was removed to Honduras at least three times.
For this offense, Escobar-Loza faces up to two years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, up to one year of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative aimed at countering illegal immigration and related criminal activity—drawing resources from Department of Justice programs such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised Homeland Security Investigations for its work on this case while Assistant United States Attorney Carter K.D. Guice Jr., General Crimes Unit, is handling the prosecution.
