Carlos Mendoza-Padilla, a Honduran national residing unlawfully in Carter County, Oklahoma, has pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a removed alien. This offense carries a potential penalty of up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division alongside the Carter County Sheriff’s Office. The indictment stated that on May 4, 2025, Mendoza-Padilla was found in the United States after being previously removed twice without obtaining permission from the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations. It also seeks to protect communities from violent crime perpetrators by coordinating resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Jason A. Robertson accepted Mendoza-Padilla’s plea and ordered a presentence investigation report. A U.S. District Court Judge will determine his sentence based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
Mendoza-Padilla remains in custody with the United States Marshals Service until sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dak T. Cohen represented the United States in this case.
