Three foreign nationals have been sentenced for violating U.S. immigration laws, reaffirming the government's ongoing campaign against illegal reentry. United States Attorney David Metcalf confirmed that the men, who had previously been deported, faced trial within the scope of Operation Take Back America, an initiative focused on combating illegal immigration and its associated criminal activities.
Hernan Molina-Perez, a 33-year-old Honduran national, served roughly three months before being sentenced to time served for illegal reentry by United States District Judge Chad F. Kenney, as reported by the Department of Justice. After his arrest by U.S. Border Patrol in 2007, Molina-Perez was deported, then encountered again by ICE in Philadelphia last December following an arrest on unspecified charges.
Oscar Navas-Rixtun, 37 from Guatemala, was detained at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility on arson among other charges when ICE picked up his trail. Navas-Rixtun, had previously been deported in February 2020, was sentenced by Judge Wendy Beetlestone to four months in prison for his most recent offense, illegal reentry.
Pedro Jimenez-Georges, otherwise known as Edwin Quezada Jimenez and Jose Quezada, a 40-year-old Dominican national, completed a three-month term for illegal reentry before United States District Judge Juan R. Sánchez sentenced him to time served. After failing to appear at his 2008 immigration hearing in Texas, Jimenez-Georges received a removal order and, was deported in 2018. In March, ICE acting on a tip off, confirmed his whereabouts in Philadelphia and subsequently arrested him.
These legal proceedings are components of a broader effort, described by the Department of Justice as an imperative 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." The Assistant United States Attorneys Judy Smith, Robert Eckert, and Lindsey Mills prosecuted these cases, which were initially investigated by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations.
