A Honduran national who was previously deported from the United States in 2015 after illegally crossing the southern border has now pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the country, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine announced on Tuesday.
Jose Luis Matute-Duarte, 35, a citizen of Honduras, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Bangor to illegally entering a U.S. after a prior removal, a federal crime punishable by up to two years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
According to federal prosecutors, in March Matute-Duarte was approached outside of a Brownville convenience store by a U.S. Border Patrol agent who thought he was acting suspiciously.
Although Matute-Duarte initially declined to answer when asked by agent if he was in the country illegally, he eventually acknowledged that he was.
Immigration records showed that Matute-Duarte was arrested in 2015 for illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border into Texas, and was deported.
Prosecutors say he did not obtain the express consent of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States.
