Twenty-two individuals who had previously been deported were convicted in July for illegally reentering the United States after prior removals, according to an announcement from United States Attorney John P. Heekin. The convictions stem from cases in the Northern District of Florida.
Court records show that each defendant had been removed from the country before and returned without obtaining legal permission. Those convicted include nationals of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, who were encountered by authorities in locations such as Santa Rosa County, Tallahassee, Madison County, Leon County, Pensacola, Escambia County, Pace, Panama City Beach, and other areas throughout northern Florida between February and June 2025.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated: “You will see a pattern in many of these cases: aliens who continue to return this country believing they will not face criminal consequences for violating our immigration laws. President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi have promised to Take Back America by making the enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws a top priority, and my office will aggressively pursue these cases to ensure that those who continue to illegally enter our country are prosecuted and swiftly removed.”
The investigations were conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations with support from state and local agencies. Prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer H. Callahan, Brooke DiSalvo, Jessica Etherton, Alicia Forbes, Justin M. Keen, James McCain, Eric Mountin, Walter Narramore, Jeffrey Tharp, and Eric Welch.
These convictions are part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ), an initiative led by the Department of Justice focused on addressing illegal immigration nationwide by combining resources from multiple federal law enforcement programs.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices serving under the direction of the Attorney General as principal litigators for the federal government. Public court documents can be accessed through the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. Additional information about the office is available at http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
