According to court documents, Bernaldo Martinez-Chagala, 40, was arrested by the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office on January 29, 2025, for a traffic violation. A Border Patrol officer responded and identified Martinez-Chagala as a person who had been previously removed from the United States in 2010 and 2020.
Judge Granade issued a time-served sentence and a 1-year term of supervised release following Martinez-Chagala's arrest. He had been in detention since January 29, 2025. Upon release, Martinez-Chagala will be handed over to immigration officials for deportation. Additionally, he was ordered to pay $100 in special assessments. "U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement."
The Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kacey Chappelear prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
"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."