A Honduran citizen living illegally in the Lufkin area has been indicted for unlawfully returning to the United States, according to an announcement from Jay R. Combs, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas.
Edwin Padilla-Cruz, 42, was named in an indictment issued by a federal grand jury this week. He is charged with illegal reentry after being previously deported from the United States. The indictment states that Padilla-Cruz was found in the Eastern District of Texas following his prior removal.
If convicted, Padilla-Cruz could face up to 20 years in federal prison and deportation.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at addressing illegal immigration, targeting cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protecting communities from violent crime.
The investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Jackson.
“A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law,” stated the press release.
