A Mexican citizen, Rigonaldo Diaz-Chixna, 30, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison and three years of supervised release for illegal reentry into the United States. The sentencing took place in Missoula, with U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presiding over the case.
Diaz-Chixna pleaded guilty in May 2025 to the charge of illegal reentry. According to court documents, he was arrested in Bozeman on December 10, 2024, for obstructing a peace officer and on two outstanding warrants. Law enforcement identified him through fingerprint analysis and determined that his most recent removal from the United States occurred around July 19, 2022.
This removal followed a previous felony conviction for illegal reentry on June 3, 2022, also in the District of Montana. Authorities reported there is no evidence that Diaz-Chixna sought or received permission from either the U.S. Attorney General or Secretary of Homeland Security to return to the country.
The Department of Homeland Security and Bozeman Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon Clarke prosecuted the case.
Officials stated that this prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a national effort involving resources from the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN)—which aims to address illegal immigration and target criminal organizations.
"Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN)."
