Repeat Offender Garcia-Herrera Back Behind Bars

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Ciro Garcia-Herrera, a 41-year-old national of Mexico from Matamoros, is headed back to federal prison, yet again. The habitual border crosser was sentenced today for the crime of illegally re-entering the United States after multiple deportations, a pattern of defiance that earned him a stiff 40-month sentence.

U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez didn’t mince words, handing down a 30-month term for the current offense. But the judge didn’t stop there. Rodriguez also revoked Garcia-Herrera’s supervised release from a previous, similar conviction in October 2015 – a 30-month sentence itself – adding another 21 months to the total, with 10 of those months to run consecutively. The total now stands at 40 months behind bars.

Court records revealed a disturbing history of disregard for U.S. immigration law. Garcia-Herrera has been convicted of illegal reentry on *five* separate occasions prior to this latest incident, dating back to 2005. Each time, he received a sentence and a deportation order, each time promptly ignored. It’s a cycle of arrest, conviction, deportation, and immediate return that has finally resulted in a substantial prison term.

The latest bust came on July 11, 2018, when authorities investigating reports of undocumented aliens discovered Garcia-Herrera at a residence in Brownsville, Texas. A swift investigation confirmed he had been deported in January 2018 and explicitly forbidden from returning to the United States. He didn’t heed the warning. He was found less than seven months later, back on U.S. soil.

Garcia-Herrera remains in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility, the location of which will be determined soon. This case underscores the ongoing challenges faced by law enforcement along the southern border, dealing with individuals who repeatedly violate immigration laws with impunity.

The investigation was spearheaded by the Customs and Border Protection – Field Intelligence Team East. Assistant U.S. Attorney Oscar Ponce is prosecuting the case, hoping to finally deter Garcia-Herrera from continuing his pattern of illegal border crossings. Whether this latest sentence will finally stick remains to be seen, but for now, Ciro Garcia-Herrera is off the streets.