Mexican National Sentenced for Illegal Reentry after Deportation

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Mexican man convicted of Illegal Reentry after Deportation. The sentencing took place on July 14, 2025.

Javier Cruz-Martinez, 29, was sentenced to time served and ordered to be removed from the United States.

Cruz-Martinez was indicted for Illegal Reentry after Deportation by a federal grand jury in April 2025. He pleaded guilty on April 30, 2025.

Cruz-Martinez is a non-citizen of the United States and a Mexican national. Cruz-Martinez was deported from the United States to Mexico in 2017. Cruz-Martinez was found back in the United States in March 2025. Reentering the United States after deportation is a felony.

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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case.

Cruz-Martinez was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.