A Honduran national, Neri Farid Ardon-Calix, was sentenced to 21 months in prison for illegal re-entry into the United States after previously being deported. Ardon-Calix, age 30, was discovered hiding in a railcar near Eagle Pass on January 13. He had been deported from the country in September 2023 after serving a two-year prison term for sexual assault of a child in Houston.
Ardon-Calix pleaded guilty to the charge on April 23. U.S. District Judge Ernest Gonzalez handed down the sentence on September 11, stating that Ardon-Calix posed a danger to the community.
U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced the sentencing.
The case was investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daisy Gonzalez.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America, which brings together resources from the Department of Justice to address illegal immigration, eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from violent crime. The operation also involves coordination with programs such as the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
