A Mexican national, Arturo Reyna-Arajo, was sentenced to six months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after deportation. The sentencing took place on December 2, 2024, following his guilty plea on September 12, 2024.
Reyna-Arajo, aged 31 and residing in Postville, Iowa, admitted to returning to the U.S. without permission after being deported. He was previously removed from the country in February 2016. Immigration officials discovered his illegal return on June 22, 2024, after his arrest in Allamakee County on state charges. In 2015, he had been convicted of falsifying public documents in Clayton County, Iowa.
The sentence was delivered by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams in Cedar Rapids. In addition to the prison term, Reyna-Arajo will serve a three-year supervised release period with no parole available under federal law.
Currently held by the United States Marshal's custody, Reyna-Arajo will be transferred to immigration officials post-sentence.
Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt prosecuted the case following an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations.