Canton Resident Faces Federal Re-Entry Charges

TYLER, TX – Jefferson Funes-Mejia, 32, is facing federal charges after being indicted by a grand jury in the Eastern District of Texas for illegally returning to the United States. The Honduran national was discovered in Canton, Texas, allegedly violating the terms of a previous deportation order.

According to the indictment, Funes-Mejia was found within the Eastern District of Texas on April 16, 2025, after having been previously removed from the country. The specific details surrounding his initial deportation haven’t been released, but the charge of illegal reentry carries significant penalties.

This case isn’t being treated as an isolated incident. Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs announced the indictment as part of “Operation Take Back America,” a sweeping federal initiative aimed at clamping down on illegal immigration and dismantling transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). The operation, Combs stated, seeks to marshal “the full resources of the Department of Justice” to address what they term an “invasion of illegal immigration.”

The Department of Justice is streamlining efforts under Operation Take Back America, pulling resources from the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). While the indictment focuses solely on Funes-Mejia’s re-entry, the broader operation suggests a wider crackdown on individuals with prior deportation orders.

If convicted of illegal reentry by a previously deported alien, Funes-Mejia faces a potential sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison, followed by certain deportation. The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Noble is prosecuting the case.

It’s crucial to remember that an indictment is not a declaration of guilt. Funes-Mejia, like all defendants in the American justice system, is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case as it develops and provide updates on the proceedings.

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