NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JOSE ANTONIO LARIO SALMERON (“SALMERON”), age 33, a native of El Salvador, was sentenced today for reentry of removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1326(a), announced United States Attorney David I. Courcelle. According to court documents, on March 30, 2026, SALMERON was travelling eastbound in a white van with several illegal aliens. Following the lawful stop by U.S. Border Patrol agents, it was determined that SALMERON – who had been previously removed from the United States on June 15, 2020 – illegally re-entered the United States without permission from the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security. United States District Judge Darrel James Papillion sentenced SALMERON to time served to be followed by one-year of supervised release. A $100 mandatory special assessment fee was also imposed. SALMERON will be turned over to immigration authorities for removal to his home country. U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the United States Border Patrol in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Spiro G. Latsis of the General Crimes Unit oversees the prosecution.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities. ***