Repeat Offender Mejia Mejia Gets 2 Years for Illegal Reentry

BOSTON – Hector Mejia Mejia, a 33-year-old Colombian national, is headed back behind bars after receiving a two-year federal sentence today for the crime of illegally reentering the United States after being repeatedly deported. The sentence, handed down by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock, will run consecutive to a state sentence Mejia Mejia is already serving for cocaine trafficking – meaning more time for a man clearly unwilling to abide by the law.

Mejia Mejia, also known as Hector Giraldo Mejia, pleaded guilty in February 2019 to one count of illegal reentry of a deported alien. This isn’t his first rodeo. Far from it. The feds have been dealing with this individual for over a decade, attempting to keep him from violating U.S. immigration laws. This time, the judge wasn’t messing around.

Records show Mejia Mejia has been kicked out of the country on four separate occasions between 2008 and 2011. And this isn’t just a matter of overstaying a visa. He’s a repeat offender when it comes to federal crimes. He previously racked up convictions for illegal reentry in 2009 in the District of New Mexico, and again in 2010 in the Southern District of Texas. Each deportation seemingly meant nothing to this man, who continued to flout the system.

The details of how Mejia Mejia managed to slip back into the U.S. after his last deportation weren’t released, but federal authorities were clearly focused on making an example of him. The fact that this sentence is being served concurrently with his drug trafficking sentence sends a clear message: repeat immigration violations, especially coupled with other criminal activity, will not be tolerated.

U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Todd Lyons, Acting Field Office Director for Boston’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, jointly announced the sentencing. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Sullivan Jacobus, of Lelling’s Major Crimes Unit – a unit that clearly isn’t shy about taking on tough cases.

While two years might not seem like a lengthy sentence, consider the bigger picture. Mejia Mejia is a professional border crosser, a man who has repeatedly disregarded U.S. law. Three years of supervised release will follow his prison term, and hopefully, this time, a final deportation sticks. But with his track record, don’t be surprised if we’re reporting on his illegal reentry – again – in the years to come. The revolving door of justice continues to spin.

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