Mexican man sentenced for illegal reentry

MISSOULA - A Mexican man who entered the United States after being previously removed was sentenced today to time served, 219 days, and remanded to the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.

Juan Diego Rojas-Meneses, 20, pleaded guilty in November 2025 to one count of reentry of a removed alien.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

The government alleged in court documents that on August 12, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a residence in Belgrade, Montana where they discovered Rojas-Meneses. He was interviewed at the scene and admitted being a citizen of Mexico without the necessary documentation to be in the United States.

A records check confirmed Rojas-Meneses is a citizen of Mexico who was last was removed from the United States on September 1, 2024, and September 23, 2024, through El Paso, Texas.

There is no record that he obtained the consent of the Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to reapply for admission into the United States

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, Belgrade Police Department, and Montana Division of Criminal Investigations.

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.

XXX