MISSOULA – A Mexican citizen who was in the country illegally after having been removed three times before was sentenced Tuesday to six months in prison, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.Rogelio Hernandez-Olivares, 45, pleaded guilty in March 2026 to one count of illegal reentry into the United States. U.S. District Judge William W.
Mercer presided.The government alleged in court documents that Hernandez-Olivares was in the United States illegally after having been removed once in 2009 and twice more in March and October of 2025. On Jan. 20, 2026, Border Patrol agents encountered Hernandez-Olivares during a traffic stop in Rocker. Hernandez-Olivares initially gave authorities a false name but admitted to being in the country illegally. Hernandez-Olivares was later correctly identified and law enforcement learned he had been removed from the country three times before.Assistant U.S.
Attorney Brian Lowney prosecuted the case. U.S. Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation.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.