Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A man from Mexico who has been deported eight times was sentenced to over a year in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States. Odilon Fuentes-Avila, 43, of Mexico City, pleaded guilty on September 18, 2025, to the charge of illegal reentry.
Court records show that Fuentes-Avila was first removed from the United States after being convicted in 2009 for entering the country without authorization. He later returned without permission and, in 2020, was convicted in Minnesota for two drug-related felonies and two driving while impaired offenses. Following these convictions, he was again deported in January 2020. Authorities state that Fuentes-Avila has received removal orders eight times.
After his most recent unauthorized return following January 2020, Fuentes-Avila was discovered by ICE agents on August 1, 2025, while being held at a county jail in Iowa on a warrant from Minnesota.
United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Fuentes-Avila to 14 months in prison during proceedings in Cedar Rapids. After completing his prison term, he will be subject to one year of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
Fuentes-Avila is currently being held by the United States Marshal until he is transferred to a federal prison.
