A Mexican national has admitted guilt in a case of illegal reentry into the United States following a previous conviction for an aggravated felony, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
Court documents reveal that Jonathan Chavez-Galarza, aged 28, was initially deported from the United States on July 15, 2020. This followed his 2018 conviction in Hennepin County for second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, where he was found guilty of stabbing a victim multiple times with a knife. Chavez-Galarza served a prison sentence of 36 months for this offense before his removal. On December 20, 2022, he faced deportation again after being convicted in the Southern District of Texas for illegal reentry.
Despite these removals to Mexico, Chavez-Galarza unlawfully returned to the United States knowingly and voluntarily. Starting around May 24, 2024, he was observed near his residence in Minneapolis and throughout the Twin Cities Metro Area on several occasions.
Chavez-Galarza entered his guilty plea before Judge Donovan W. Frank at the U.S. District Court on one count of illegal reentry into the United States after committing an aggravated felony.
The investigation leading to this case was conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Green is handling the prosecution.