Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
Jose Neftali Monge-Guevara, a 38-year-old man from El Salvador, was sentenced to nearly two months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after being previously deported. The announcement came from John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated: “The criminal alien has repeatedly shown complete disregard for our nation’s immigration laws, and now he’ll spend time in federal prison before being deported for the third – and hopefully final – time. President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi launched Operation Take Back America to repel the invasion of illegal immigration that persisted unchecked for the past several years, and my office will continue to fulfill that mission with successful prosecutions like this one.”
Court records show that Monge-Guevara was found in Wakulla County, Florida during a traffic stop by local law enforcement on October 26, 2025. Authorities identified him as a citizen of El Salvador who had been deported from the U.S. twice before—in 2013 and 2014—and had not received permission from U.S. authorities to return.
Following his arrest, an ICE detainer was issued against Monge-Guevara and deportation proceedings are set to begin soon.
The case resulted from cooperation between the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Highway Patrol, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations unit. Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, which is described as a national effort by the Department of Justice aimed at addressing illegal immigration issues and combating related crimes such as violent offenses and trafficking activities.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida serves as one of 94 offices under the direction of the Attorney General nationwide. More information about this office can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
