MOBILE, Ala. — Twelve men who returned to the United States after being deported have been sentenced in federal court for illegal reentry, including a 29-year-old Mexican national first encountered by Daphne police during a suspicious-vehicle call, federal prosecutors announced Monday. The illegal reentry cases, brought in the Southern District of Alabama, were prosecuted as part of the Justice Department’s Operation Take Back America.
Most of the defendants were first encountered by local police or the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office during traffic stops or routine arrests before federal immigration officers determined they had been removed from the country before. Three received prison terms ranging from four to 16 months; the other nine were sentenced to time served. Every defendant was ordered transferred to immigration authorities for deportation proceedings upon release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Illegal reentry sentences at a glance
According to the announcement from U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello, the 12 defendants include six Mexican nationals, four Honduran nationals, one Guatemalan national and one Salvadoran national. Their ages range from 24 to 60.
- Ricardo Hernandez-Martinez, 60, Mexico — 16 months in prison (sentenced Aug. 27)
- Nelson Felipe Miralda-Avila, 37, Honduras — eight months in prison
- Jesus Adolfo Mejia-Torres, 34, Mexico — four months in prison
- Walter Noel Castellon-Guerra, 39, Guatemala — time served (sentenced Oct. 1)
- Jose Luis Lara-Arteaga, 29, Mexico — time served
- Juan Rodrigo Gonzalez-Hernandez, 40, Mexico — time served
- Agustin Eduardo Lucas-Gomez, 28, Mexico — time served
- Deric Fiallos-Villalobos, 24, Honduras — time served
- Hector Saldivar-Orellana, 34, Honduras — time served
- Wilson Tabora-Henriquez, 34, Honduras — time served
- Jose Ramos Chabarria, 49, El Salvador — time served
- Ignacio Aguilar-Gutierrez, 39, Mexico — time served
All of the defendants were also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment. Each remained in custody on his federal charge until sentencing.
Daphne case: suspicious-vehicle call led to federal charge
Jose Luis Lara-Arteaga’s case began on Aug. 25, 2025, when the Daphne Police Department responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle and encountered him. Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) later reviewed information from that encounter and determined that Lara-Arteaga was in the country unlawfully.
According to federal prosecutors, Lara-Arteaga had been deported in 2018 following a felony conviction in Baldwin County Circuit Court for leaving the scene of an accident involving injuries. ERO arrested him in March 2026 — about seven months after the Daphne encounter. He was convicted of illegal reentry, sentenced to time served and ordered transferred to immigration authorities for deportation proceedings upon his release.
Two most recent sentencings
Ricardo Hernandez-Martinez: fourth removal, third reentry conviction
The longest sentence announced went to Ricardo Hernandez-Martinez, 60, who was sentenced Aug. 27 to 16 months in prison. According to court documents, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office encountered him during a traffic stop on March 20, 2026, and asked ERO for help. ERO officers took him into custody and determined that he had previously been removed from the United States four times.
Prosecutors said Hernandez-Martinez has multiple prior felony convictions, including two earlier convictions for illegal reentry and one for transporting an alien. He also has prior convictions for reckless driving, driving under the influence, giving a false name to law enforcement and public intoxication. The case marked his third illegal reentry conviction.
Walter Noel Castellon-Guerra: Saraland traffic stop
On July 22, 2026, Saraland police stopped a vehicle after determining that none of its occupants had a valid driver’s license. Saraland officers called the U.S. Border Patrol, a component of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which determined that Walter Noel Castellon-Guerra, 39, had been deported twice before. He was arrested for illegal presence in the United States and on Oct. 1 was sentenced to time served.
The other cases: Foley, Silverhill, Summerdale, Fairhope and more
The remaining defendants were prosecuted and sentenced earlier. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office:
- Juan Rodrigo Gonzalez-Hernandez, 40, was arrested by the Foley Police Department on Jan. 23, 2026, for possession of drug paraphernalia. ERO responded to the jail and found that he had been deported in 2011 after a felony conviction in Baldwin County Circuit Court for possession of a controlled substance.
- Agustin Eduardo Lucas-Gomez, 28, was encountered by the Silverhill Police Department during a traffic stop on Jan. 24, 2026. ERO determined he had been removed three times before. He also had prior convictions for DUI, driving without a license and illegal entry.
- Deric Fiallos-Villalobos, 24, was arrested by ERO on Feb. 19, 2026, on a federal arrest warrant. He had previously been arrested by Foley police in June 2022 for third-degree domestic violence, and ERO determined he had been deported in 2020.
- Nelson Felipe Miralda-Avila, 37, was encountered by the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office during a traffic stop on Feb. 12, 2026. ERO found he had been removed five times before and had prior illegal reentry convictions in 2013 and 2016. This was his third illegal reentry conviction, and he received eight months in prison.
- Hector Saldivar-Orellana, 34, was encountered by the sheriff’s office during a traffic stop on March 13, 2026. ERO determined he had been removed in 2010 following a felony conviction in Maryland for second-degree rape.
- Wilson Tabora-Henriquez, 34, was stopped by the sheriff’s office for a traffic violation on March 18, 2026. ERO determined he had been deported three times before. He also had a prior felony conviction in Maryland for second-degree assault.
- Jose Ramos Chabarria, 49, was stopped by the Summerdale Police Department on March 18, 2026. Summerdale officers asked for ERO’s help, and ERO determined he had been deported six times — the most of any defendant in the announcement. He also had a prior felony conviction in Texas for driving while intoxicated with three or more prior convictions.
- Jesus Adolfo Mejia-Torres, 34, was arrested by the Fairhope Police Department on April 5, 2026, for second-degree possession of marijuana. ERO found he had been deported in 2017; before that removal, he had been convicted of third-degree burglary in Baldwin County Circuit Court. He was sentenced to four months in prison.
- Ignacio Aguilar-Gutierrez, 39, was encountered by the sheriff’s office during a traffic stop on May 20, 2026. With ERO’s help, deputies determined he had been deported twice, most recently in 2022 following a Baldwin County Circuit Court conviction for leaving the scene of an accident involving injury.
How the cases came together
A common thread runs through most of the cases: a local officer or deputy made contact during an ordinary call — a traffic stop, a suspicious-vehicle report or an arrest on a misdemeanor-level charge — and then contacted federal immigration officers, who checked the person’s history and found a prior removal.
The cases were investigated by the Department of Homeland Security; ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations; Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Border Patrol; and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. State and local partners included the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office and the Daphne, Fairhope, Foley, Saraland, Silverhill and Summerdale police departments.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin D. Kopf prosecuted the cases on behalf of the United States.
What is illegal reentry?
Illegal reentry is a federal crime under Section 1326 of Title 8 of the U.S. Code. It applies to a person who has been deported, removed or denied admission and then enters, attempts to enter or is found in the United States without permission. The basic offense carries a maximum of two years in prison, but the maximum rises substantially — to 10 or 20 years — for people whose earlier removal followed certain criminal convictions, such as felonies or aggravated felonies.
Actual sentences are set by a federal judge, who considers the federal sentencing guidelines, the defendant’s criminal and immigration history and other factors. That is why sentences in cases charged under the same statute can vary widely, as they did here.
What “time served” means
A sentence of time served means the judge credited the defendant with the time already spent in custody while the case was pending and imposed no additional prison time. Because each of these defendants remained in custody until sentencing, a time-served sentence does not mean release into the community; instead, the defendants were ordered transferred to immigration authorities.
The $100 special assessment
Federal law requires a $100 special assessment for each felony count on which a defendant is convicted. The money goes to the federal Crime Victims Fund, which supports victim compensation and assistance programs.
What happens next
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, defendants ordered transferred to immigration authorities will face further immigration proceedings once they complete their federal sentences. For the nine defendants sentenced to time served, that transfer follows sentencing. For Hernandez-Martinez, Miralda-Avila and Mejia-Torres, it will follow completion of their prison terms.
The Justice Department did not say in its announcement when any of the removals are expected to take place.
About Operation Take Back America
The Justice Department describes Operation Take Back America as a nationwide initiative that marshals the department’s full resources to combat illegal immigration and enforce federal immigration laws. According to the announcement, the operation’s aims also include “the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protecting our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.” The department described the effort in its announcement as part of “repelling the invasion of illegal immigration.”
Prosecutors said the 12 cases reflect the ongoing efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to identify and prosecute people who illegally reenter the United States after being deported.
About the Southern District of Alabama
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama, based in Mobile, prosecutes federal crimes in a 13-county region of southwest Alabama that includes Mobile and Baldwin counties. All of the cases announced Monday were handled in that district.
