Hector Bienvenido Amador-Medina Sentenced for Illegal Re-Entry

Hector Bienvenido Amador-Medina, 34, is back on the streets after being caught sneaking back into the country just years after deportation. The previously removed alien was sentenced to time served — two months and seven days — followed by one year of supervised release after pleading guilty to illegally re-entering the United States.

The sentence, handed down November 17, 2021, by U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson in Harrisburg, marks the latest crack in federal immigration enforcement. Amador-Medina evaded inspection by immigration officers after his last official removal in June 2018, slipping across borders and living under the radar until his capture.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Amador-Medina admitted to returning to the U.S. without authorization, a felony for any previously deported non-citizen. His reappearance triggered a swift federal case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joanne M. Sanderson.

The investigation was led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), the frontline agency tasked with tracking down and removing criminal and repeat immigration violators. Despite the conviction, critics question the effectiveness of a time-served sentence for a repeat border violator.

Amador-Medina’s case underscores a growing pattern: individuals deported for immigration violations re-entering the country with minimal consequences. While he now faces a year of federal supervision, there’s no guarantee he’ll be removed from the country again if he vanishes once supervision ends.

Federal prosecutors, led by John C. Gurganus, continue to face scrutiny over sentencing decisions in illegal re-entry cases. With border encounters surging, many ask: is time served punishment enough — or just a revolving door?