The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Thursday told The Tennessee Star that Marco Sabillon-Urbina, who was among the more than 120 arrests made on Sunday at the Memphis nightclub El Corralón, is a previously deported illegal alien who previously pleaded guilty to using a controlled substance while in possession of a firearm.
The confirmation from DHS came one day after the Memphis Permits Office told The Star that El Corralón, which also uses the name Marisqueria El Corral, had obtained neither a beer permit nor a dance permit from the City of Memphis.
While The Star did not ask the Memphis Permits Office about Sabillon-Urbina specifically, an official said in response to a general inquiry about the nightclub’s ownership and permits at the 3870 Macon Road address, that “Marco Urbina applied for a beer permit in 2017 but was denied.”
The Memphis Permits Office stated, “They did not have a dance permit at this location.”
In its Thursday statement, a DHS spokesman told The Star Sabillon-Urbina is an illegal alien from Honduras. A Honduran flag can be seen prominently displayed within the nightclub in one of the photos of Operation Corral Light previously released to The Star by DHS.
“On August 30, 2026, at El Corralon nightclub, ICE arrested Marco Sabillon-Urbina, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras, convicted of three counts of possession of a firearm and charged with unlawful use of a controlled substance and traffic offense,” the spokesman said.
“He received due process and was ordered removed by a Justice Department immigration judge on December 21, 2023.”
DHS told The Star, “He was removed on December 13, 2024 and illegally re-entered the country—a felony. ICE lodged a detainer for Sabillon-Urbina on March 4, 2024. He is currently in USMS custody. This administration will not ignore the rule of law.”
The spokesman told The Star that the arrest of Sabillon-Urbina, as well as the other roughly 120 illegal aliens the agency said were arrested at El Corralón in Memphis, demonstrate the Trump administration’s serious stance against illegal immigration.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.,” said the spokesman.
Prior to his alleged illegal reentry into the United States sometime after his December 2024 deportation, Sabillon-Urbina pleaded guilty in 2023 to being an unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm. As part of his plea agreement, Sabillon-Urbina waived notice and a hearing concerning his removal, stipulated to the entry of a judicial order of removal, and agreed to present documentation verifying his voluntary departure from the country.
In exchange, the Biden-era plea agreement stated that the government would agree not to oppose time served, move to dismiss an earlier indictment from 2022, and promise that DHS would not detain Sabillon-Urbina within an agreed-upon self-deportation window unless he committed another crime.
After DHS confirmed Sabillon-Urbina was arrested, the Shelby County Clerk directed The Star to file a request under the Tennessee Public Records Act (TPRA) in order to obtain public records that could demonstrate whether the Honduran national is the same business owner who is described as the sole proprietor of Marisqueria El Corral in two records of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans listed within a public database of U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) records.
According to these records, Marisqueria El Corral received two PPP loans during the same month despite SBA policy that prohibited the same borrower from receiving multiple loans. Both loans were later forgiven.
Though the legal status of Sabillon-Urbina within the United States when the PPP loans were authorized in June 2020 is unclear, researchers found in May 2020 that though the statutory language was ambiguous, guidance suggested that only citizens or those in the country legally could qualify for PPP loans, as applicants were required to submit a valid Social Security Number, Employer Identification Number, or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, as well payroll and business records.
Spokespersons for the City of Memphis and the Shelby County Health Department have also directed The Star to file TPRA requests in order to obtain documents that could determine whether Sabillon-Urbina owns the nightclub operating as Marisqueria El Corral and El Corralón.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
