Mexican Man Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Reentering the United States After Being Deported

Press Release

Has Prior Conviction for Illegally Entering the United States

A man who illegally returned to the United States after being deported was sentenced today to three months in federal prison.

Jorge Luis Laguna-Razo, age 35, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States and residing in Charlotte, North Carolina, received the prison term after a January 31, 2024, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry into the United States after having been deported.

At the guilty plea, Laguna-Razo admitted he had previously been deported from the United States and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government. Laguna-Razo was previously deported in October 2017 following his conviction in the Southern District of Texas for illegally entering the United States. He was also deported to Mexico in February 2008. On September 30, 2023, immigration officials learned Laguna-Razo had illegally returned to the United States and found Laguna-Razo at the Tama County Jail following his arrest for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. Laguna-Razo was convicted of OWI on January 3, 2024.

Laguna-Razo was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Laguna-Razo was sentenced to 92 days' imprisonment. He must also serve a one-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

Laguna-Razo is being held in the United States Marshal's custody until he can be turned over to immigration officials.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

The case file number is 24-CR-02.

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Updated April 17, 2024