United States Attorney David Metcalf has announced the sentencing of six individuals in Philadelphia for various immigration-related offenses. Five defendants were sentenced for illegally reentering the United States after prior deportations, while another was sentenced for making false statements in passport applications.
Ronal Leonardo Suarez, a 44-year-old Guatemalan national, pleaded guilty to illegal reentry and received a sentence of time served—three months—from United States District Judge Mark A. Kearney. Suarez had previously been deported from the U.S. in July 2003 and was arrested again by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in March outside the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas.
Demetrio Pulido Urbina, a 39-year-old Mexican national, was sentenced to time served—just over four months—by United States District Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg for illegal reentry. Pulido Urbina had been removed from the U.S. three times previously and was arrested by ICE in February following an electronic notification of his arrest by local police.
Gonzalo Hernandez-Roque, aged 28 and also from Guatemala, pleaded guilty to illegal reentry and was sentenced to almost three months' time served by United States District Judge John M. Gallagher. Hernandez-Roque had been ordered deported after a May 2016 encounter with U.S. Border Patrol.
Guillermo Lopez-Ramirez, a 34-year-old Guatemalan national, received a similar sentence from Judge Gallagher for illegal reentry after being removed from the U.S. in May 2015.
Martin Astudillo Estrada, also known as Martely Ortiz Perez, a 41-year-old Mexican national, was sentenced to four months in prison by United States District Judge Gail A. Weilheimer for illegal reentry after multiple previous encounters with U.S. immigration authorities led to voluntary departures back to Mexico.
In addition to these cases related to illegal reentry into the country, Andres De La Rosa Hernandez, a Dominican native residing illegally in Camden, New Jersey, was sentenced on Monday by United States District Judge John F. Murphy for making false statements on passport applications under another identity.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative focused on combating illegal immigration and protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators through streamlined efforts from various Department of Justice task forces.
The cases were investigated by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations along with other agencies including the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lizmar Bosques, Rosalynda M. Michetti, Robert Schopf, Rebecca J. Kulik, Robert J. Livermore among others.
