HOUSTON – A 38-year-old Honduran national with a felony criminal history has been sentenced for illegally entering the country without authorization, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.Jose Castro Orellana pleaded guilty Sept. 4, 2025.U.S. District Judge Sim Lake has now ordered Orellana to serve 54 months in federal prison.
Not a U.S. citizen, and with a current removal order, he is expected to be immediately removed from the United States after serving his sentence. At his sentencing hearing, the court heard that Orellana had been illegally entering and re-entering the country for the past 20 years.Orellana’s criminal history includes felony convictions for domestic violence, evading arrest and illegal reentry. He was first removed in 2012 and returned unlawfully two times. He was removed again in 2022 but was arrested in July following his release from state custody for his fourth domestic violence conviction.He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.Immigration Customs Enforcement – Enforcement Removal Operations conducted the investigation.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Law prosecuted the case.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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.