A Mexican national, Valentin Hernandez-Yanez, has received a sentence for illegally reentering the United States, according to an announcement from Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr. Hernandez-Yanez, aged 38, pleaded guilty to unlawful reentry as a deported alien. On April 2, U.S. District Judge Michael Truncale sentenced him to time served. Hernandez-Yanez has been in custody since July 2024. Currently, he is under an immigration detainer and will be processed by Homeland Security for deportation to Mexico.
Court information revealed that Hernandez-Yanez was observed in Vidor, Texas, by federal immigration agents on April 30, 2024. Agents recognized him from previous encounters. A check of the immigration database showed that Hernandez-Yanez, a Mexican national, was deported in June 2011. Since that time, he has not applied for permission to reenter the United States.
This case is part of "Operation Take Back America." The initiative aims to use the Department of Justice's full resources to manage illegal immigration, eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from violent crime. The operation integrates efforts from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.
The investigation was carried out by Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Quinn.