A 23-year-old Ecuadorian national was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to illegally re-entering the United States.
Lorenzo Antonio Loja-Castro admitted to the offense before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo and was sentenced to time served. He was immediately turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
According to federal prosecutors, Loja-Castro had no legal status in the country. He was first arrested near Middleport, New York, on May 7, 2024, by U.S. Border Patrol agents and deported two months later on July 2. Less than a year after his removal, agents with the Department of Homeland Security found him again in Erie County on March 26. Loja-Castro admitted to being in the country without documentation.
“This case is part of Operation Take Back America,” said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York. The nationwide initiative aims to combat illegal immigration, dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and reduce violent crime. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.
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