A Guatemalan national has been sentenced to 17 months in prison for unlawfully reentering the United States after being previously removed. The sentencing took place on June 30, 2025.
Juan Lucas-Gomez, aged 38, was discovered by law enforcement officials to be unlawfully present in the U.S. around February 28, 2025. He had been removed from the country in July 2010 following a conviction for aggravated battery of a pregnant woman in Florida on January 13, 2009. Lucas-Gomez served a state jail sentence before his removal and faced an enhanced federal penalty due to his prior conviction.
The federal grand jury indicted Lucas-Gomez on March 4, 2025. He entered a guilty plea on March 31, 2025.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi Patrick A. Lemon made the announcement alongside Eric P. DeLaune, Special Agent-in-Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans, Louisiana; and Brian Acuna, Acting Field Office Director of ICE/ERO in New Orleans.
Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Brett Grantham prosecuted the case.
The investigation was part of Operation Take Back America, which is a nationwide initiative led by Homeland Security Investigations aiming to combat illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators.
