Illegal alien pleads guilty to firearm possession as a part of Operation Take Back America

GREENVILLE, MS - A Mexican national, illegally in the United States, pled guilty to the illegal possession of firearms in front of United States District Court Chief Judge Debra M. Brown. Sentencing will be held at a later date at which the defendant faces a statutory maximum penalty of fifteen years in prison.

According to court documents, Daniel Mireles-Reyna was arrested on December 26, 2025, on the Natchez Trace Parkway near Tupelo, Mississippi. Upon arriving at the scene, law enforcement Rangers with the National Park Service discovered that Mireles-Reyna had a loaded stolen handgun in his pocket. Rangers also located two other firearms including a Glock handgun and a Draco 7.62 firearm in the defendant's car. Information provided during the defendant's guilty plea also noted that Rangers located ammunition for these firearms and suspected narcotics.

During the investigation into the defendant, agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) learned that Mireles-Reyna was not a citizen of the United States and was illegally and unlawfully present in the United States following his illegal entry from Mexico.

Scott Leary, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi, reiterated that "Beginning in 2020, our borders were opened and drugs and undocumented aliens poured into our country. Crime rates rose as drug prices dropped. To combat this reality, Operation Take Back America was initiated to protect communities from the rise of violent crime and cheap narcotics and to combat transnational criminal organizations that have so decimated our communities. As part of this initiative, federal law enforcement has worked tirelessly to stop illegal immigration. The right to possess firearms does not extend to those who enter our country illegally. Rangers with the National Park Service did an outstanding job seizing deadly firearms from an illegal alien in our district. Our law enforcement officers place themselves in harm's way every day protecting the people of our State, I applaud them. We thank the Rangers of the National Park Service and HSI for their diligent work on this case."

"This case demonstrates the importance of vital partnerships among federal law enforcement agencies," stated Matt Wright, acting Special Agent in Charge for HSI. "HSI remains firmly committed to protecting public safety, and we are proud to have worked with the Rangers of the National Park Service to bring Mireles-Reyna to justice for his federal firearms violations."

The law enforcement Rangers of the National Park Service and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Herzog Jr. is prosecuting the case.

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.