Luis Cuellar-Martinez, a 32-year-old Mexican national living in Poteau, Oklahoma, has pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a removed alien. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced the plea. Cuellar-Martinez faces up to two years in prison and a possible fine of up to $250,000.
The case resulted from an investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. According to court documents, on July 31, 2025, Cuellar-Martinez was found in the United States without obtaining permission from the Secretary of Homeland Security after having been previously removed in 2014.
"This case is part of 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)."
The Honorable Jason A. Robertson, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, accepted Cuellar-Martinez's plea and ordered a presentence investigation report. Sentencing will be determined by a U.S. District Court Judge after consideration of federal guidelines and other legal factors.
Cuellar-Martinez will remain in custody with the United States Marshals Service until sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dak T. Cohen represented the government in this matter.
