Repeat Offenders: Three Deported Nationals Back Behind Bars

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Three individuals, already flagged for removal from the United States, are facing the consequences of brazenly violating federal law by illegally re-entering the country. U.S. Attorney David Metcalf announced the sentencing of Rigoberto Buox, 44, of Guatemala; Kevin Portillo-Urquia, 32, of Honduras; and Wagner De Leon-Morales, 46, of Mexico, this week in Philadelphia federal court.

Rigoberto Buox received a sentence of time served – nearly three months – from U.S. District Judge Catherine Henry. Buox was initially deported in September 2016 after a U.S. Border Patrol encounter. He resurfaced in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, last August, facing an assault charge, leading to his arrest by ICE agents this April. He pleaded guilty to illegal reentry in May, bypassing indictment. Following his release, he will once again be deported.

Kevin Portillo-Urquia also received time served – approximately three and a half months – from U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Savage. Portillo-Urquia was previously removed in July 2012 after being caught crossing the border illegally by Border Patrol. ICE and ATF encountered him during a joint operation in Philadelphia this February, confirming he wasn’t the fugitive they sought, but revealing his prior deportation. He was taken into custody in March, indicted in April, and pleaded guilty this week, also waiving indictment. He too will be deported after completing his sentence.

Wagner De Leon-Morales, facing a similar fate, was sentenced to almost three months of time served by Judge Henry. His attempts to evade detection were repeatedly foiled. He was deported twice in 2008 – first after illegally crossing the border, then again after a Border Patrol inspection in Arizona. This year, during an ICE worksite enforcement operation in Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania, De Leon-Morales admitted to being in the country illegally. He was arrested in April, charged in May, and pleaded guilty this week, avoiding indictment before being deported.

These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a sweeping federal initiative aimed at aggressively combating illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protecting communities from violent crime. The operation consolidates resources from the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), signaling a zero-tolerance approach to border security.

The investigations were spearheaded by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, the ATF, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly Lewis Fallenstein, S. Chandler Harris, and Rebecca Kulik are prosecuting the cases. While the sentences handed down were relatively short, the repeated deportations followed by illegal reentry demonstrate a clear disregard for U.S. law and a persistent challenge for federal enforcement agencies. These defendants will now face the consequences of their actions – a return to their countries of origin, hopefully for good.

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