Sean P. Costello U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama
Bernaldo Martinez-Chagala, a 40-year-old, was arrested by the Mobile County Sheriff's Office on January 29, 2025, for a traffic violation. A Border Patrol officer who responded to the stop identified that Martinez-Chagala had been previously removed from the United States in 2010 and again in 2020, according to court records.
U.S. District Judge Granade sentenced Martinez-Chagala to time served and imposed a one-year supervised release term upon his future release. Since his arrest on January 29, he has remained in custody. He will be referred to immigration officials for deportation proceedings following his release from prison, and was ordered to pay $100 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello from the Southern District of Alabama announced the sentencing outcome. Agencies involved in the investigation included the Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, and the Mobile County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case.
The case is part of "Operation Take Back America," a nationwide initiative aimed at using the Justice Department's resources to combat illegal immigration, dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from violent crime.
