Jose Paxtor-Oxlaj, a 45-year-old Guatemalan national, has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after deportation. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
Public records show that on November 21, 2023, Paxtor-Oxlaj was driving a vehicle near Elk City, Oklahoma, when he was involved in an accident that resulted in the deaths of six passengers, including three children. A seventh passenger sustained critical injuries. An investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) determined that Paxtor-Oxlaj had previously been ordered removed from the United States by an Immigration Judge on June 29, 2010. He was deported to Guatemala on July 9, 2010 but reentered the country without permission in 2011.
On September 17, 2024, a federal Grand Jury indicted Paxtor-Oxlaj for illegal reentry following his prior deportation. He pleaded guilty on March 21, 2025, admitting that he knowingly remained in the United States without obtaining consent from the Attorney General or Secretary of Homeland Security.
In Beckham County District Court case CF-2023-257, Paxtor-Oxlaj was convicted of six counts of first-degree manslaughter and one count of causing an accident with great bodily injury while lacking a valid driver’s license. He received a four-year state prison sentence for those convictions.
At his sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Patrick R. Wyrick imposed a consecutive federal sentence of 24 months—the statutory maximum—following his state prison term. According to the court: “the defendant preyed on others who were here illegally and that his conduct was reprehensible.”
The investigation into this case involved HSI, ICE, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandon Hale and Elizabeth Joynes 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.”
Further details are available through public filings.
