Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A Guatemalan citizen has been sentenced to 127 days in prison for illegally reentering the United States after being previously removed. Gerardo Santis-Jiron, also known as Pedro Simon Rivera-Perez, age 36, pleaded guilty on June 10, 2025, to one count of being found in the United States after illegal reentry.
According to court records, Santis-Jiron admitted that he had been removed from the United States in 2009 and later returned without permission from the government. Immigration officials discovered him at the Linn County Jail on April 27, 2025, following his arrest on state charges for operating while under the influence.
United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand handed down the sentence in Cedar Rapids. In addition to serving a prison term of 127 days, Santis-Jiron will be subject to a one-year term of supervised release upon completion of his sentence. There is no parole available in the federal system.
Santis-Jiron remains in custody with the United States Marshals Service and will be transferred to immigration authorities for further action.
The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep. The case was investigated by Enforcement and Removal Operations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), an initiative designed by the Department of Justice to address illegal immigration and related criminal activity by coordinating resources from multiple federal programs including Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
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