Marco Gomez-Arguello, a 36-year-old Mexican national, has pled guilty to charges of illegal re-entry after deportation, as announced by Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson. The indictment stated that after being deported on October 28, 2013, Gomez-Arguello re-entered the United States illegally, which now positions him in the face of up to two years imprisonment and a potential fine of $250,000.
Gomez-Arguello's case, processed in the U.S. District Court, also includes a mandatory special assessment fee of $100 and possible supervised release of up to one year. The announcement made earlier this week detailed the collaborative efforts of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) New Orleans Field Office, with Assistant United States Attorney Mary Katherine Kaufman in charge of the prosecution. Having been deported before, running against the stark walls of American immigration policy, Gomez-Arguello's re-entry speaks to the ceaseless saga of those chasing some semblance of hope or home on this side of the line.
Michael M. Simpson, in a statement obtained by the Justice Department, lauded the investigative work that led to Gomez-Arguello’s guilty plea. As the United States strives to uphold its laws, the tales of individuals like Gomez-Arguello run often unseen, beneath the weight of legal decrees and enforcement, manifesting through matters handled by offices such as the ICE and the Department of Justice.
