A 42-year-old Mexican national, Juan Ignacio Miranda-Arente, has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for unlawfully reentering the United States. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Miranda-Arente pleaded guilty on November 19, 2025. U.S. District Judge Charles R. Eskridge handed down the sentence and noted that the decision was influenced by the severity of Miranda-Arente’s prior conviction for indecency with a child, which occurred after he had illegally reentered the country. "Specifically, Judge Eskridge stated that he was guided by the very serious nature of Miranda-Arente’s indecency with a child conviction that he committed after illegally reentering the United States."
In addition to this offense, Miranda-Arente also has a previous assault conviction from 2008 involving a tire iron. He was initially ordered removed from the United States following that incident but later returned without legal authorization. Authorities discovered him in March 2020 in Conroe during his arrest for indecency with a child.
He is not a U.S. citizen and is expected to face removal proceedings once his prison term ends. "Miranda-Arente has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future."
The investigation into Miranda-Arente's case was conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Hostetter prosecuted it.
"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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime."
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes and handling civil cases on behalf of the government as part of its role within the U.S. Department of Justice. This office covers 43 counties with over nine million residents through offices located in Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen, and Brownsville (official website). More than 200 attorneys work under this office (official website), which has had leaders such as Alamdar Hamdani and Ryan Patrick (official history page).
