Mexican national previously deported five times, sentenced to federal prison for unlawfully returning to the United States
TYLER, Texas –A Mexican national illegally living in Longview, has been sentenced for unlawfully returning to the United States, announced Eastern District of Texas Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Jose Refugio Jara-Palafox, 45, pleaded guilty to illegal reentry following removal and was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker on August 21, 2025. Jara-Palafox will be deported once he has served his sentence.
According to information presented in court, on August 13, 2024, Jara-Palafox was arrested in Gregg County. Following the arrest, it was determined that he had been deported on five prior occasions and has multiple convictions including two DWIs, indecent exposure, leaving the scene of an accident, and presenting false documentation at a port of entry.
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).
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security-Immigration and Customs Enforcement and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Noble.
