KC Reporter

A Mexican national residing illegally in Kansas City, Missouri, has been sentenced for re-entering the United States after being previously removed. Jorge Alejandro Esparza-Lopez, aged 41, received a sentence of twelve months in federal prison without parole and one year of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs delivered the sentence.

Esparza-Lopez had pleaded guilty on February 26, 2025, to illegally re-entering the country. He admitted awareness that he lacked permission to enter or remain in the United States lawfully.

According to federal law, it is illegal for an alien to knowingly re-enter the United States without authorization after removal. Esparza-Lopez had been deported five times before: in 2007, 2013, twice in 2016, and once more in 2022. After his last removal in 2022, he unlawfully returned and was discovered within the Western District of Missouri following an arrest by Independence police in October 2024 for domestic assault, stealing, and interfering with police duties. These charges are still pending.

The prosecution of this case is being handled by Special Assistant United States Attorney Amanda Hanson and was investigated by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations.

This sentencing is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). The operation aligns efforts from various Department of Justice entities including Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).