United States Attorney David Metcalf announced the sentencing of three men convicted of illegally reentering the United States after previous deportations. The cases were heard in Philadelphia, where each defendant received a sentence for their actions.
Hernan Molina-Perez, a 33-year-old Honduran national, was sentenced to time served, approximately three months, by United States District Judge Chad F. Kenney. Molina-Perez had been deported from the U.S. in October 2007 following an arrest by the U.S. Border Patrol and a removal order issued by an immigration judge. In December of last year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) discovered that Molina-Perez was back in the country illegally after being arrested by the Philadelphia Police Department. ICE officers detained him in April, and he pleaded guilty to illegal reentry this week.
Oscar Navas-Rixtun, a 37-year-old Guatemalan national, received a four-month prison sentence from United States District Judge Wendy Beetlestone on Wednesday for illegal reentry. Navas-Rixtun had been deported in February 2020 after being apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol for being in the country unlawfully. In March of this year, ICE learned that he was held at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Philadelphia on arson charges. He was taken into custody by ICE officers and charged with illegal reentry in April before pleading guilty in May.
Pedro Jimenez-Georges, also known as Edwin Quezada Jimenez and Jose Quezada, is a 40-year-old Dominican national who was sentenced to time served—approximately three months—by United States District Judge Juan R. Sánchez on Monday for illegal reentry into the U.S. Jimenez-Georges had previously been deported in October 2018 after failing to appear at an immigration hearing in Texas earlier that year. ICE received information about his presence in Philadelphia this March and confirmed his identity through surveillance before arresting him.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, which aims to address illegal immigration and combat transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators. The initiative involves collaboration between various departments within the Department of Justice.
The investigations were conducted by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations with prosecution led by Assistant United States Attorneys Judy Smith, Robert Eckert, and Lindsey Mills.
