Federal prosecutors, in collaboration with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have charged 24 individuals with the crime of re-entering the United States after having been previously removed, according to a recent announcement from the Justice Department. The charges were filed in response to a widespread effort to combat illegal immigration and its associated criminal activities under Operation Take Back America.
This enforcement effort highlights the government's initiative to repel what it perceives as an invasion of illegal immigration and dismantle cartels and other transnational criminal organizations threatening U.S. communities. According to the Justice Department's statement, the defendants, some of whom are convicted felons, face severe federal prison sentences if convicted of re-entering the U.S. illegally.
One of the defendants, Andrés Palacios Duque, 51, from Mexico, has been charged with illegal re-entry after removal, following his prior convictions on drug-related offences. A federal criminal complaint has been filed against Duque, who has previously been removed from the country twice, in 2009 and 2015, and was sentenced to five years in state prison for convictions including transporting and selling methamphetamine and cocaine. Assistant United States Attorney Rosalind Wang is handling this case.
Another case involves Tereso Guadalupe Martínez Reyes, 23, also from Mexico, who now faces charges related to the possession of stolen goods and re-entry after removal. Martínez was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol agents driving erratically in a vehicle packed with allegedly stolen Nike Jordan shoes, valued at approximately $64,530. Charged via a federal grand jury indictment, Martínez pleaded not guilty and awaits a scheduled trial on May 20. Assistant United States Attorney Alexander H. Tran is prosecuting.
The charged offenses range from being unlawfully present in the U.S. after removal, which carries up to two years of prison time, to re-entry after a felony conviction with a maximum 10-year sentence, and up to 20 years for those removed after an aggravated felony conviction. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations unit is involved in the investigations of these cases.
For more information, Ciaran McEvoy, the Public Information Officer, can be contacted at [email protected], or by phone at (213) 894-4465.
