Milton Gonzalez, Illegal Re-entry, Minnesota 2012

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota man has been sentenced to 36 months in prison for re-entering the United States illegally after being deported in 2005. Milton Gonzalez, 35, was charged with one count of illegal re-entry after removal and pleaded guilty in July 2012. He had previously been convicted of possession with intent to distribute amphetamine in Wisconsin and was deported to Mexico in 2005.

Gonzalez was stopped by Prairie Island, Minnesota, tribal police for speeding and arrested on active warrants for possession and sale of counterfeit checks. He was identified as an illegal alien with a criminal record through the ICE’s Criminal Alien Program (“CAP”) while in the Dakota County jail. The CAP is designed to locate criminal aliens incarcerated in federal and state prisons, as well as in local jails, and prevent them from being released into society by having them federally prosecuted for illegally re-entering.

This case was the result of an investigation by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (“ICE ERO”). It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Clifford B. Wardlaw and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin P. Johnson.

Gonzalez is one of many individuals who have been prosecuted under the CAP. The program aims to keep communities safe by ensuring that criminal aliens are held accountable for their actions. In some instances, federal prosecution occurs only after the individual has been prosecuted for the recent underlying offense.

The case of Noe Castro-Coj, 41, is another example of the CAP in action. Castro-Coj was arrested in Steele County for violating an order for protection on February 5, 2013. He was found to be an illegal alien who had been deported to Guatemala in 2003 following a 2000 Kansas conviction for kidnapping. Castro-Coj pleaded guilty to one count of illegal re-entry after removal in May 2013.

Castro-Coj faces a potential maximum penalty of 20 years and will be deported after serving his federal sentence. The case was the result of an investigation by the Steele County Sheriff’s Office and ICE ERO. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Dunne.

The ICE ERO and the CAP are working together to ensure that individuals who pose a threat to public safety are held accountable. By prosecuting individuals who re-enter the country after being deported, we can keep our communities safe and prevent further crimes from occurring.

Related Federal Cases