Illegal alien with multiple violent crime convictions sentenced for unlawfully returning to the United States

Editor's Note:
This matter occurred on date indicated, but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.    

HOUSTON – A 34-year-old man from El Salvador has been ordered to federal prison for illegally reentering the country after removal, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Carlos Membreno-Lainez pleaded guilty June 30. 

U.S. District Judge David Hittner has now ordered Membreno-Lainez to serve 72 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court determined an upward variance was appropriate to deter Membreno-Lainez from committing further crimes.  

Membreno-Lainez has convictions for evading arrest and theft as well as a significant sentence for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. He was removed in November 2018 with no permission to return to the United States. However, authorities encountered him again Nov. 30, 2024, following an arrest in Harris County on charges of felony assault of a family member impeding breath. 

He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luis Batarse is prosecuting 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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.