A Mexican national has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for unlawfully reentering the United States, as announced by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Hector Castillo-Molina, aged 27, pleaded guilty on September 13, 2024.
U.S. District Judge David S. Morales handed down the sentence, highlighting Castillo-Molina's "concerning" criminal record and suggesting that continued illegal entries would result in more time spent in jail. Castillo-Molina has a history of five felony convictions, including burglary, drug possession, felon in possession of a firearm, and previous illegal reentry into the country.
Having been removed from the United States multiple times before, Castillo-Molina was last deported in August 2022. Authorities discovered him again on April 27, 2024, at the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint among 59 individuals being transported in a tractor-trailer.
Castillo-Molina will remain in custody until he is transferred to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility yet to be determined. The investigation was conducted by Border Patrol agents and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Griffith.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and transnational crime by utilizing resources from the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.