Honduran Man Sentenced in Montana Federal Court for Third Illegal Reentry Into U.S.

GREAT FALLS — A 33-year-old Honduran man was sentenced to 99 days in federal prison followed by one year of supervised release for illegally reentering the United States after two prior removals, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme announced Thursday.

Carlos Alexis Ponce-Lopez pleaded guilty in April to illegal reentry charges in U.S. District Court in Great Falls, where Chief Judge Brian M. Morris presided over the sentencing.

Pattern of Illegal Entry

According to court documents, Ponce-Lopez has a documented history of illegal border crossings:

• November 2011: Initially ordered removed by an Immigration Judge in San Antonio, Texas
• December 2011: Removed from the United States
• March 2014: Illegally reentered the country
• August 2014: Removed again after his original removal order was reinstated

Ponce-Lopez was convicted in federal court for illegal entry on both previous occasions before being removed.

Recent Arrest in Montana

The case began when Montana Highway Patrol conducted a traffic stop on Interstate 90 near Billings on February 21, 2025. Ponce-Lopez was a passenger in the vehicle and was released along with the other occupants after the driver was cited.

Two weeks later, on March 4, U.S. Border Patrol agents located Ponce-Lopez at a residence in Shelby, Montana. When agents approached the house, Ponce-Lopez walked outside.

“Carlos Ponce?” one agent called out.

“Si, es mi (Yes, that’s me),” Ponce-Lopez responded in Spanish.

During the subsequent immigration inspection, Ponce-Lopez admitted he had been removed before and had reentered illegally. He acknowledged having no legal documentation to enter, live, or remain in the United States and was not pending any immigration hearings.

He was arrested and transported to the Sweetgrass Border Patrol Station for processing.

No Legal Readmission Attempts

Department of Homeland Security records show no evidence that Ponce-Lopez ever applied for legal readmission to the United States following his removals.

Ponce-Lopez will likely be subject to deportation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after serving his federal prison sentence. Due to the brief length of his sentence, he is unlikely to be granted early release for immediate deportation.

The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana. The investigation was conducted jointly by U.S. Border Patrol, Montana Highway Patrol, and the Toole County Sheriff’s Office.

This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations. The operation coordinates resources from the department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) programs.