A Mexican citizen, Marvin Escobar-Artega, 34, pleaded guilty in federal court to illegally re-entering the United States and was sentenced to nine months in prison. The announcement was made by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, along with Acting Field Office Director Vernon Liggins from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE-ERO) – Baltimore Field Office.
Escobar-Artega was arrested by Baltimore City Police Department officers on January 18, 2025, for unrelated charges. During his arrest, law enforcement discovered that he had previously been removed from the United States.
According to the plea agreement, Escobar-Artega has re-entered the country illegally four times. His first unlawful entry occurred on February 28, 2020 at the southern border near Donna, Texas. On that day a U.S. immigration judge issued a Notice and Order of Expedited Removal and he was deported to Mexico on March 1.
He returned again on March 5 near Progreso, Texas and was deported the next day. He entered a third time near Hidalgo, Texas on March 10 and was deported once more on April 22. The most recent re-entry took place at an unknown date and location.
“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,” according to information released by authorities.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended ICE-ERO for its work in this investigation and also thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kertisha Dixon and Carolyn Mills for prosecuting the case.
More details about priorities or community resources are available through the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office website at justice.gov/usao-md or its community outreach page at justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
