Press Release
Two Men Plead Guilty to Immigration Crimes
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of West Virginia
BECKLEY, W.Va. – United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced today that two men pled guilty to immigration crimes before United States District Judge Irene Berger in Beckley. Both men entered guilty pleas to the felony offense of Reentry of a Removed Alien and are scheduled to be sentenced on July 10, 2019.
“The crisis on the border is exacerbated by illegal entrants repeatedly being deported only to come back again,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “We’re spending considerable taxpayer dollars and prosecutors’ time on illegal reentry cases that reduce the time we have to prosecute other crimes. This is a growing problem.”
On February 1, 2019, Luis Figueroa-Zuniga, 44, a Honduran national, was found in Ronceverte, Greenbrier County, West Virginia. Federal agents with ICE had received a tip that he was working illegally at a restaurant. ICE agents investigated and located Figueroa-Zuniga leaving his residence to travel to the restaurant. ICE agents requested identification from him. Figueroa-Zuniga immediately admitted that he was not in the United States legally and had no identification documents permitting him legal status. ICE agents took Figueroa-Zuniga into federal custody. Fingerprinting matched Figueroa-Zuniga to a prior removal from the United States in 2005. Figueroa-Zuniga was found by immigration judges to be in the United States illegally and was deported to Honduras. He had not obtained permission to legally enter the United States and had not sought legal status or citizenship. Figueroa-Zuniga further admitted to ICE agents that he was a Honduran citizen.
On January 22, 2019, Samuel Hernandez-Hernandez, 31, a Mexican national, was found in Beaver, Raleigh County, West Virginia. Federal agents with ICE had received information that Hernandez-Hernandez was incarcerated in the prison facility and was not a United States citizen. Agents confirmed this information and they lodged a detainer against him. ICE agents further confirmed Hernandez-Hernandez was not in the country legally by speaking with him telephonically. Hernandez-Hernandez immediately admitted that he was not in the United States legally and had no identification documents permitting him legal status. Fingerprinting matched Hernandez-Hernandez to two prior removals from the United States in 2015 and 2016. Hernandez-Hernandez was found by immigration judges to be in the United States illegally and was deported to Mexico. He had not obtained permission to legally enter the United States and had not sought legal status or citizenship. Hernandez-Hernandez further admitted to ICE agents that he was a Mexican citizen.
The investigations were conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Assistant United States Attorneys Erik S. Goes and Stefan Hasselblad are responsible for the prosecution.
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Updated March 28, 2019
Topic
Immigration
Component