Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
Frizli Merari Miguel-Martinez, a 35-year-old Guatemalan national, has been sentenced to eight months in federal prison for illegal reentry after removal. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated, “The defendant not only repeatedly violated our national laws by illegally entering our country, he also committed numerous crimes while here. President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi have promised to Take Back America by making the enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws a top priority, and my office will continue to aggressively pursue these cases to ensure habitual illegal alien offenders are prosecuted, punished, and then swiftly removed from our country.”
Miguel-Martinez was arrested on April 14, 2025, following a traffic stop conducted by a deputy with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) determined that he was unlawfully present in the United States. Previously removed from the U.S. once in 2017 and twice in 2019, Miguel-Martinez has a history of traffic offenses including convictions for leaving the scene of an accident and providing false information to law enforcement.
An ICE detainer has been lodged against Miguel-Martinez; deportation proceedings will commence after his prison term. Following imprisonment, he will be subject to one year of supervised release.
The case involved collaboration between ICE’s operational directorates, Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement Removal Operations. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer H. Callahan prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices serving under the direction of the Attorney General.
