The feds have rounded up 20 individuals who have found their way back onto U.S. soil following previous deportations. The Justice Department announced that charges have been filed against these defendants, some of whom have colorful rap sheets including felony convictions ranging from vandalism to firearms-related crimes. Among the charged is Antonio Espinoza Zarate, also known as "El Gato," who is selling fentanyl pills and has a history of multiple deportations and felony convictions.
According to the Justice Department, Espinoza, a 55-year-old Mexican citizen, was arrested Wednesday under allegations of fentanyl distribution and illegal reentry. But unlike his prior encounters with law enforcement, where he managed to slip back in, this time he's being held without bond. The court documentation pulls back the curtain on Espinoza's past deportations in 2010, 2013, 2014, and 2017. His rap sheet includes felony convictions in both state and federal court — think narcotics in 2008 and illegal reentry in 2015.
Efrén García Jiménez and Aristeo González Rosas, both 24-year-olds from Mexico, also found themselves facing federal charges after picking up felony convictions for firearms offenses and landing back in Uncle Sam's pool after being sent packing. Garcia Jiménez, shown the door back in 2019, wound up back in court after shooting at an inhabited residence and committing vandalism, while González Rosas boasted a conviction for carrying a loaded firearm with a high-capacity magazine.
A separate case unveiled by a grand jury involves Kevin Mauricio Ballardo-García, another 24-year-old Mexican national, who was caught allegedly trafficking a staggering 326.6 pounds of methamphetamine into Southern California. After the drugs were found in his Jeep during a traffic stop, Ballardo-García was carted off to jail without bond. It appears these arrests are part of "Operation Take Back America," the DOJ's grand scheme to staunch the flow of illegal immigration and dismantle the cartels and transnational criminal organizations running amok.
The crackdown is just a pixel in a larger picture painted by the U.S. government's efforts to tighten the reins on border security and crime. The charge for simply being found in the United States after removal can net up to a two-year vacation in federal prison. For more detailed info on the defendants and the legal proceedings, reach out to Public Information Officer Ciaran McEvoy or visit the Justice Department's announcement.
