Jose Luis Saavedra-Escamirosa, Illegal Reentry, Virginia 2025

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Charlottesville Man Sentenced for Third Illegal Reentry into US

A Charlottesville man, Jose Luis Saavedra-Escamirosa, 36, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for illegal reentry of a previously removed alien.

According to court documents, Saavedra-Escamirosa was arrested in April 2025 by the Virginia State Police and charged with driving under the influence. He was found to have bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and smelled strongly of alcohol.

Saavedra-Escamirosa, a citizen of Mexico, had previously been removed from the United States on at least three occasions. He was first removed in 2011, then returned and convicted of two drug offenses in Colorado in 2014. He was removed again to Mexico and later returned to the United States, where he was convicted of illegal reentry in the Southern District of Texas in 2016 and sentenced to 20 months in prison.

After serving his sentence, Saavedra-Escamirosa was removed to Mexico in January 2018, but he returned to the United States yet again and lived illegally until his arrest for DUI in Virginia in April 2025.

“Illegal reentry into the United States is a federal felony offense,” said Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci. “This office will affirmatively prosecute those who violate the immigration laws of the United States.”

The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that streamlines efforts and resources from the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Saavedra-Escamirosa’s sentencing marks the latest in a long string of convictions for illegal reentry in the Western District of Virginia.