Gulfport, Miss. - Alejandro Santacruz-Villanueva, 40, an illegal alien from Mexico, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden, to “time served" (3 months and 16 days) as well as to one year of supervised release for unlawful reentry by an alien after removal, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst, and Gregory Bovino, Chief Patrol Agent of the Border Patrol, New Orleans Sector. Additionally, Santacruz-Villanueva will face Department of Homeland Security removal proceedings to remove him from the United States back to his home nation of Mexico.
On Nov. 12, 2019, the U.S. Border Patrol responded to a call for assistance from a fellow law enforcement officer who had conducted a traffic stop on Interstate 10 in Jackson County. The driver was identified as Alejandro Santacruz-Villanueva, a Mexican national, without appropriate documents, who was illegally present in the United States.
A records search revealed that Santacruz-Villanueva had been previously removed from the United States to Mexico on Jan. 17, 2014.
U.S. Attorney Hurst praised the cooperation exhibited by the U.S. Border Patrol, the South Mississippi Metro Enforcement Team, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, and the City of Gautier Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Stan Harris was the prosecutor for the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
