United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana
05/15/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/15/2026 13:19
Brazilian National Guilty of Reentry of Deported Alien
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA -WALYSTTON HENRIQUE DE SOUZA ("DE SOUZA"), age 32, a native of Brazil, plead guilty and was sentenced on May 7, 2026, 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, DE SOUZA, an illegal alien, was found in St. Tammany Parish on March 31, 2026 by agents of the United States Customs and Border Patrol. DE SOUZA had previously been removed to Brazil by the United States Department of Homeland Security on July 2, 2021.
United States District Judge Eldon E. Fallon sentenced DE SOUZA to time served, then transferred DE SOUZA into ICE Custody for deportation proceedings, and payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), 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).
U.S. Attorney Courcelle praised the work of the United States Customs and Border Patrol in investigating this matter. Special Assistant United States Attorney Rick Veters, of the General Crimes Unit oversees the prosecution.
United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana published this content on May 15, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on May 15, 2026 at 19:19 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]