Texas Border Business
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas
HOUSTON – A 33-year-old Honduran national who resided in Houston has been sentenced for illegally entering the United States.
Denis Hernandez-Cruz pleaded guilty April 11.
U.S. District Judge Charles R. Eskridge has now ordered Hernandez-Cruz to serve 60 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that Hernandez-Cruz needed a substantial sentence to deter him from illegally reentering again.
Hernandez-Cruz has felony convictions for illegal reentry as well as two convictions for burglary of a habitation. He has three prior removals from the United States, most recently in April 2020.
He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Franklyn 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 and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Updated June 26, 2025
