Rodrigo Trejo-Maldonado, a 30-year-old Mexican national, has been indicted for illegal reentry after previously being deported from the United States. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe in Ocala, Florida.
Court records state that Trejo-Maldonado was deported on November 30, 2018. He was later found in the United States on July 25, 2025, without having received consent from the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security to reapply for admission.
If convicted, Trejo-Maldonado faces up to two years in federal prison.
"An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty."
The investigation is being conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) along with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Watson is prosecuting the case.
According to officials, this prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America. This initiative uses resources from the Department of Justice to address illegal immigration and aims to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime.
