El Paso Jury Finds Illegal Alien Guilty of National Defense Area Violation

EL PASO, Texas – A federal jury in El Paso convicted a Cuban national today for one count of violating a defense property security regulation.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Narali Arevalo-Casay, 23, illegally entered the United States from Mexico by crossing the Rio Grande River on May 7, less than a mile west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry.

Following the jury’s guilty verdict, U.S. Magistrate Judge Miguel Torres sentenced Arevalo-Casay to time-served. The misdemeanor carries a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

The U.S. Border Patrol investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle Myers and Scott Wisniewski 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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