Illegal Alien Sentenced to Prison for Reentering the United States

An illegal alien who reentered the United States from Guatemala was sentenced July 14, 2026, to six months in federal prison.

Rogelio Morales-Ramos, age 36, from Guatemala, who had been living in Sioux Center, Iowa, received the prison term after a May 21, 2026, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry.

At the plea hearing, Morales-Ramos admitted he illegally reentered the United States without permission after having been previously removed from the United States on June 13, 2019. On April 1, 2026, law enforcement officers in Sioux County attempted to stop a car that Morales-Ramos was driving for speeding. He initially failed to stop. After he eventually stopped, Morales-Ramos ran from officers. Law enforcement officers found an open alcohol bottle, additional alcohol, and a fictitious international driver's license in the car. On April 4, 2026, law enforcement officers found Morales-Ramos at his home in Sioux Center. He again tried to flee from officers before being caught. Officers found more fake documents in the house. Once Morales-Ramos was in custody, officials determined he was a citizen of Guatemala and had previously been deported from the United States three times.

Morales-Ramos was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Morales-Ramos was sentenced to six months' imprisonment. He must also serve a one-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by the Sioux County Sheriff's Office and the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.

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.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.plLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..

The case file number is 26-CR-04014. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.