Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A Jamaican national has been sentenced to six months in prison for illegally reentering the United States after previously being deported. Tanya James, 53, received her sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman in federal court in Boston. Following her prison term, James will be subject to deportation proceedings.
James pleaded guilty in July 2025 to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien after being indicted by a federal grand jury the previous month.
Court records show that James was first convicted in 2003 for possession of cocaine base with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine base. She was ordered removed from the United States and deported to Jamaica in 2004. In 2011, she was again ordered removed and subsequently deported to Jamaica in 2012.
In March 2024, James faced charges related to motor vehicle offenses. On or about May 12, 2025, immigration officials took her into custody after determining she was present in the United States without authorization.
"United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Noto of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case."
