Pedro Aranda-Zaragoza, a 49-year-old man from Mexico, pleaded guilty to unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation. The plea was entered on July 17, 2025. Aranda-Zaragoza is set for sentencing on August 26, 2025, and could face up to two years in prison. A federal district court judge will decide the sentence based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors. Following any prison term, he may undergo Homeland Security removal proceedings.
Aranda-Zaragoza was apprehended on April 24, 2025, during a Homeland Security Investigations review at El Patron Mexican Grill in Vancleave, Mississippi. He admitted to being illegally present in the U.S. and returning after lawful removal. Records showed a Final Order of Removal was issued against him in 2012, and he was removed to Mexico in August 2018 without permission or consent for reentry from U.S. authorities.
Patrick A. Lemon, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, commended Homeland Security Investigations' efforts in this case. Eric P. DeLaune, Special Agent-in-Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans, Louisiana, also participated in the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Harris prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime.
