Honduran National Edy Garcia-Banegas Pleads Guilty to Illegal Reentry

Edy Garcia-Banegas, a 32-year-old citizen of Honduras, admitted in federal court today to illegally reentering the United States after being formally deported in 2012. The guilty plea was entered before U.S. District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle, marking the latest enforcement action in a tightening crackdown on repeat immigration violators.

Garcia-Banegas was previously removed from the U.S. on or about January 6, 2012, following immigration proceedings. Despite that order, he crossed back into the country on or about December 14, 2017, knowingly violating federal law. His return triggered charges under Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326, which criminalizes the reentry of deported aliens.

The one-count Bill of Information to which Garcia-Banegas pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and one year of supervised release following any incarceration. He is also required to pay a $100 special assessment at sentencing.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 18, 2018, in the Eastern District of Louisiana. At that hearing, federal prosecutors will argue for full accountability under the law, pointing to Garcia-Banegas’s unauthorized return as a direct breach of federal immigration authority.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), whose agents tracked Garcia-Banegas’s movements and verified his prior removal. U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans credited ICE with critical investigative work leading to the prosecution.

Assistant United States Attorney Irene González is handling the case for the government. No additional charges are currently pending, but federal authorities continue to monitor cross-border reentry patterns as part of broader homeland security operations.

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