For the first time in a while, we are witnessing a serious illegal immigration case here in Louisiana. Yesterday, a 37-year-old Honduran national who has been living in Zachary was indicted of possession and attempted production of child pornography. According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Baton Rouge, Victor Zelaya-Funez will face a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 15 years if he is convicted of these crimes.

Corey Amundson, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana, said in a written release: “The aggressive prosecution of illegal aliens engaged in the sexual exploitation of children is a top priority of the US Department of Justice generally and this office in particular … I greatly appreciate the outstanding efforts of our federal, state, and local partners in addressing this important criminal justice priority.”

These charges are awful enough, but could they have been avoided? As it turns out, Zelaya-Funez had once already been removed from the country and awaits pending prosecution on a previous indictment of illegal re-entry into the U.S.

It truly is a shame that such heinous crimes are so often committed, especially when it’s potentially avoidable in situations like this. Not even a year ago, another illegal alien from Honduras crashed a bus on I-10 in St. John the Baptist Parish, which injured about 40 people and took the lives of two more. And in recent years we’ve seen numerous violent crimes, sometimes resulting in death, committed by immigrants who have been deported and somehow made their way back to America. Illegally.

The problem is not immigration. It’s illegal immigration. We’ve acknowledged that there are plenty of families and individuals across the United States who were born outside of this country, but who have followed the rules upon their resettlement here and who now contribute to society in positive ways. That’s what the American Dream is all about, and it’s a large part of what makes our country so exceptional.

We just hope that with the current administration and the strides Congress is taking with Kate’s Law, criminals like Zelaya-Funez will not be allowed a second chance to commit such unspeakable crimes.