United States Attorney David Metcalf announced on Mar. 31 that two Dominican nationals were sentenced to prison this month in Philadelphia for illegally reentering the United States after being previously deported.
The sentencing of these individuals highlights ongoing efforts by federal authorities to address illegal reentry cases and enforce immigration laws. Both defendants will be removed from the country again after serving their sentences.
Jorge Adalberto Dejesus Rondon, also known as Jorge Garcia, Henry Matos, and Edwin Carrillo, age 38, received a sentence of 40 months in prison from United States District Judge Gerald A. McHugh. According to the announcement, Dejesus had been removed from the U.S. three times: first in February 2011 following a drug conviction; again in June 2015 after serving time for his first illegal reentry conviction; and most recently in August 2019 following additional convictions and violations of supervised release. After evading arrest last April, he was located and arrested by law enforcement officers at a Philadelphia residence in June. He was charged with illegal reentry by indictment in July and pleaded guilty in November.
Warlin DeJesus Arnaud-Salcedo, age 41, was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment by United States District Judge Mary Kay Costello for illegal reentry. Arnaud-Salcedo had previously been removed from the U.S. in May 2016. In May of last year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) encountered him while searching for other individuals on Hegerman Street in Philadelphia; although he provided identification at that time and was allowed to leave, ICE later determined he had returned illegally and arrested him the next day. He was indicted on charges of illegal reentry last June and pleaded guilty four months later.
Both cases are part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative using Department of Justice resources aimed at countering illegal immigration as well as eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
The investigations were conducted by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations with prosecutions led by Assistant United States Attorneys Mark Dubnoff and Mark Sendek.
