Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler sentenced a Mexican national for illegal reentry after deportation. The sentencing took place on July 15, 2025.
Amador Cruz-Martinez, aged 31, received a sentence of time served and will be deported following his release from the custody of the U.S. Marshals.
Cruz-Martinez was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2025 for illegal reentry after deportation and pleaded guilty on May 21, 2025.
Cruz-Martinez is not a citizen of the United States and is a Mexican national who was deported to Mexico in 2015. He was found back in the United States in March 2025, an act which constitutes a felony offense.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at addressing illegal immigration and combatting cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) to protect communities from violent crime. This operation consolidates efforts from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuting the case.
