A Guatemalan national residing illegally in Port Arthur has been sentenced to federal prison for unlawfully returning to the United States, according to an announcement from Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs of the Eastern District of Texas.
Wilmer Armando Xitumul-Godinez, 24, pleaded guilty to illegal reentry by a previously deported alien. U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone sentenced him to 12 months in federal prison on August 28, 2025. After serving his sentence, Godinez will be deported.
Court records show that Godinez was first deported by immigration officials in September 2024. Federal agents encountered him again when he reentered the country in October 2024.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, which uses resources from the Department of Justice and its Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) to address illegal immigration and related criminal activity.
The investigation was conducted by the Department of Homeland Security and the Port Arthur Police Department. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tommy Coleman prosecuted the case.
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