Illegal Immigrant Sentenced After Re-entering United States Five Times

MOBILE, AL - A Mexican national was sentenced on May 5, 2026, to time served in prison for illegally reentering the United States after previously having been deported.

According to court documents, Jesus Penaloza-Munoz, 33, was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents on February 23, 2026, after a traffic stop. Penaloza-Munoz was the driver of the vehicle and presented the Border Patrol agent with a Mexican Consular Identification Card and stated he was a citizen and national of Mexico. When questioned about his presence in the United States, Penaloza-Munoz stated that he was not in possession of any documents allowing him to be in, remain in, or pass through the United States legally. Penaloza-Munoz's fingerprints were entered into the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System, and records revealed he had previously been deported from the United States five times.

At sentencing, Chief Judge Beaverstock imposed the time served sentence of incarceration and a one-year term of supervised release upon his future release. Upon his release from prison, Penaloza-Munoz is to be referred to immigration officials for deportation proceedings. Penaloza-Munoz was ordered to pay $100 in special assessments.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, and the Gulf Shores Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. Hutchins III prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

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.