Lazaro Morales-Lauro, a 52-year-old Mexican citizen residing illegally in Hurricane, West Virginia, pleaded guilty on November 3, 2025, to the charge of reentry of a removed alien. He was sentenced to time served and subsequently transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) administrative custody for removal proceedings.
Court documents indicate that Morales-Lauro was stopped by law enforcement officers during a traffic stop in Hurricane on August 26, 2025. ICE agents determined that he was in the United States without legal status and had previously been deported five times. Authorities confirmed that Morales-Lauro did not possess any identification documents allowing him to be in the country legally. He also never obtained permission from the Secretary of U.S. Homeland Security to reapply for admission after his prior removals or sought other legal means to reenter.
United States Attorney Moore Capito announced the case outcome and recognized the efforts of ICE-Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Hurricane Police Department for their roles in the investigation.
The hearing was overseen by United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage prosecuted the case as part of a unit within the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia dedicated to immigration enforcement under Operation Take Back America.
According to the press release, “Operation Take Back America is 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.”
Additional information about this case can be found through PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-160.
