Mexican Man Sentenced for Unlawful Return After Removal

Gulfport, Miss. – A Mexican national was sentenced for unlawful return after deportation or removal, announced U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca and Chief Patrol Agent Jason E. Schneider of the U.S. Border Patrol’s New Orleans Sector.

Fernando Hernandez-Zavala, 39, of Mexico, was sentenced to “time served” (effectively 6 months and 7 days).  Hernandez-Zavala also was sentenced to one year of supervised release upon release from prison.  He is subject to removal proceedings by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to remove him from the U.S. and return him to his home nation of Mexico.  Hernandez-Zavala pleaded guilty and was convicted of this federal offense on January 12, 2022.

According to court documents, Hernandez-Zavala was arrested on October 8, 2021, on Interstate 10 in Harrison County.  A Harrison County Sherriff’s Department Interdiction Patrol Deputy conducted a vehicle stop near Mile Marker 29 on Interstate 10 eastbound for speeding.

The passenger in the vehicle was identified as Fernando Hernandez-Zavala, a citizen and national of Mexico with no legal right to enter or remain in the United States.  Record checks revealed that he had been lawfully removed from the United States in 2004 and again in 2010. 

The case was investigated by the U.S. Border Patrol and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris was the prosecutor for this case.