Previously deported Mexican national found in Longview

LONGVIEW –According to a press release from the office of the Eastern District of Texas Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs, a Mexican national illegally living in Longview has been sentenced for unlawfully returning to the United States.

According to information presented in court, on August 13, 2024, Jose Refugio Jara-Palafox, 45, was arrested in Gregg County. Following the arrest, it was determined that he had been deported on five prior occasions and has multiple convictions including two DWIs, indecent exposure, leaving the scene of an accident, and presenting false documentation at a port of entry.

Jara-Palafox pleaded guilty to illegal reentry following removal, and was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker on August 21, 2025. Jara-Palafox will be deported once he has served his sentence.