Two men from Honduras were sentenced this week in Mobile, Alabama, for illegally reentering the United States after being deported. The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a national initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at addressing illegal immigration.
According to court documents, Hermes Castillo, 44, and Miguel Alvarado-Villanueva, 36, were stopped by the Elberta Police Department during a traffic stop on May 29, 2025. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was notified and determined both men were in the country illegally. Castillo had previously been deported three times and had convictions for possession of cocaine under Florida law and illegal reentry in 2012. Alvarado had also been deported three times before.
Both men received sentences of time served and a one-year term of supervised release if not deported. They had been held since their arrests in May and were ordered transferred to immigration officials for deportation proceedings upon release.
Other recent prosecutions under Operation Take Back America include several individuals from Mexico, Honduras, and El Salvador who were sentenced for illegal reentry after encounters with local police departments or federal agents between May and June 2025. These defendants also received time-served sentences and will be transferred to immigration authorities for deportation proceedings. Each was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama announced these actions.
Multiple agencies contributed to these investigations, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol (USBP), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), as well as several local police departments.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin D. Kopf prosecuted the cases.
“Operation Take Back America aim includes the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protecting our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime,” according to the press release.
“In addition to repelling the invasion of illegal immigration, the Operation Take Bank America initiative is committed to leveraging Department of Justice resources to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and to protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime,” according to another statement in the announcement.
