Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Illegal Re-Entry in SC

At 23 years old, Juan Jose Mejia-Contador is back behind bars — not for a new violent offense, but for slipping back into the United States after being kicked out five times. The Mexican national pleaded guilty in federal court in Florence, South Carolina, to Illegal Re-Entry into the United States after deportation, a crime under 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a), marking the latest chapter in a well-documented pattern of border violations.

On November 26, 2017, immigration authorities caught Mejia-Contador while he was already locked up at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center in Horry County on unrelated state charges. ICE-ERO officers assigned to the Pacific Enforcement Response Center flagged him during a routine sweep. Records confirmed he was a citizen of Mexico with zero legal authorization to enter or remain in the U.S. — again.

Despite five prior deportations, Mejia-Contador repeatedly crossed back into the country without permission. Each time, the system expelled him. Each time, he returned. This time, federal prosecutors aren’t treating it as a routine immigration matter. United States Attorney Beth Drake made that clear when announcing the guilty plea, signaling a hard-line stance on repeat offenders.

Now, Mejia-Contador faces up to two years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.00. U.S. District Judge Bryan Harwell, overseeing the case from Florence, accepted the plea but held off on sentencing until the U.S. Probation Office delivers a presentence report. The delay suggests the court is weighing the full weight of his repeated violations.

The investigation was led by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Charleston, with crucial support from the Conway Police Department. Their collaboration highlights the growing integration of local law enforcement in federal immigration enforcement — especially in jurisdictions where immigration offenders intersect with local criminal dockets.

Assistant United States Attorney A. Bradley Parham is prosecuting the case out of the Florence office. With no indication of legal status or asylum claims, and a trail of deportations behind him, Mejia-Contador’s case stands as a stark example of the federal government’s renewed focus on punishing repeat illegal entry — not as a civil lapse, but as a criminal act with serious consequences.

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