TYLER, Texas — Robert Daniel Argueta-Lopez, 51, a citizen of El Salvador, has been sentenced to 140 months in federal prison for immigration violations, following his illegal reentry into the United States after three previous removals, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs for the Eastern District of Texas.
Argueta-Lopez pleaded guilty to illegal reentry and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker on September 12, 2024.
The case began when local law enforcement stopped Argueta-Lopez’s vehicle in Van Zandt County, Texas, on July 9, 2022, and arrested him on state charges. After being booked into the Van Zandt County Jail, federal authorities determined that Argueta-Lopez was unlawfully present in the United States.
Argueta-Lopez had previously been deported three times, in December 2007, April 2012, and July 2021. His first removal followed a 1994 conviction for first-degree murder in Tarrant County, Texas. He was subsequently removed after a federal conviction for illegal reentry in 2008 in the Northern District of Texas. His third removal occurred after a federal conviction for assault on a federal officer in 2013 in the Southern District of Texas.
This case is part of the continued efforts by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal law enforcement to address illegal reentry and ensure that repeat offenders are held accountable for violating immigration laws.