Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell has announced the sentencing of a Mexican national, Javier Cruz-Martinez, for illegal reentry after deportation. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler on July 14, 2025.
Cruz-Martinez, aged 29, received a sentence of time served and will be removed from the United States. He was indicted in April 2025 by a federal grand jury and pleaded guilty later that month.
The individual had previously been deported to Mexico in 2017 but was found again in the United States in March 2025. Illegal reentry after deportation is classified as a felony offense.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America, an initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). The operation involves collaboration between various Department of Justice entities including the 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 Benjamin Schroeder leading the prosecution.
Following his sentencing, Cruz-Martinez was placed into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
