HOUSTON – A 48-year-old illegal alien from Mexico has been sentenced for unlawfully reentering the country again.Juan Francisco Juarez-Rodriguez illegally resided in Houston and pleaded guilty on March 10, 2026. U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks has now ordered Juarez-Rodriguez to serve 57 months in federal prison.
As an alien in the United States illegally, he is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence about his criminal history while illegally present in the United States.Juarez-Rodriguez has prior convictions for carrying a concealed weapon, burglary, criminal mischief, drug charges, resisting an officer, shoplifting, criminal trespass, battery, and illegal reentry.Authorities first removed him from the United States in October 1999, and he repeatedly returned illegally. On January 25, 2023, law enforcement again discovered him in Houston with no authorization to be in the country. Juarez-Rodriguez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Hostetter prosecuted 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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.