Santillanes-Barraza Sentenced

Jose Santillanes-Barraza, a 43-year-old man from Mexico, has been sentenced to 7 months in prison for illegal re-entry into the United States following a felony conviction.

Santillanes-Barraza pleaded guilty to one count of illegal re-entry as a felon on June 17, 2014. At the guilty plea, he admitted to re-entering the United States without permission after being removed from the country on December 1, 2010.

Prior to his removal, Santillanes-Barraza was convicted of tampering with records in the Iowa District Court, Buena Vista County, on August 26, 2010. This conviction led to his initial removal from the United States.

Santillanes-Barraza came to the attention of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) after he was arrested on April 30, 2014, in Hancock County, Iowa, for operating a vehicle while intoxicated (OWI). This arrest led to the discovery of his illegal re-entry into the United States.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Fletcher and investigated by HSI and the Enforcement and Removal Office of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau. Santillanes-Barraza was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett.

In addition to the 7-month prison term, Santillanes-Barraza must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. The case file number is 14-CR-3027, and court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

The sentence handed down to Santillanes-Barraza serves as a reminder of the consequences of illegal re-entry into the United States. The cooperation between HSI and the Enforcement and Removal Office of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Bureau is crucial in identifying and prosecuting individuals who violate immigration laws.