PHOENIX, Ariz. – A Mexican citizen, Bonifacio Renteria-Cruz, aged 48, was taken into custody on charges of illegal re-entry into the United States. Renteria-Cruz was apprehended during a Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) operation on Tuesday. This operation was led by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deputy Director Madison Sheahan. He faces charges for violating Title 8, U.S.C. 1326(a) and (b)(1).
Renteria-Cruz has a criminal history dating back to October 11, 2006, when he was convicted of aggravated assault, classified as a class 3 felony, in the Maricopa County Superior Court. He served a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence and was deported to Mexico on April 8, 2008.
Following his deportation, Mexican authorities charged Renteria-Cruz with homicide for an incident that took place on July 20, 2009. This led to him being a fugitive since that time.
The HSI received a tip-off in January 2025 about Renteria-Cruz's illegal re-entry into the United States. Agents located and identified him, leading to his arrest on April 8, 2025, during an immigration operation.
The arrest was part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative aiming to counter illegal immigration and eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations. It seeks to protect communities from violent crime.
As stated, "a criminal complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt." Renteria-Cruz is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by a jury.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations in Phoenix, Arizona, and the case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Addison Owen of the District of Arizona, Phoenix.