⏱ 2 min read
BELGRADE, MT – Juan Diego Rojas-Meneses, 20, walked out of a federal courtroom in Missoula with a 219-day sentence… and straight into the hands of the U.S. Border Patrol. The Mexican national pleaded guilty to illegally re-entering the country after being booted back to Mexico twice last year – once on September 1st, and again on September 23rd, both through El Paso, Texas.
Belgrade PD and state investigators raided a residence on August 12th, 2025, where they found Rojas-Meneses. He admitted he wasn’t authorized to be here. Turns out, he hadn’t bothered getting permission from anyone – not the Attorney General, not Homeland Security – to come back after his previous removals.
Judge Dana Christensen handed down the time-served sentence, effectively turning the courtroom into a transfer point for Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus handled the prosecution.
Federal officials are framing this case as part of “Operation Take Back America,” a broad-stroke initiative targeting illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations. Expect more of these prosecutions as the feds push to tighten the border.
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