Six Repeat Offenders Face Federal Re-Entry Charges

TALLAHASSEE & PENSACOLA, FL – Six individuals with prior deportation orders have been convicted in federal court for the crime of illegally re-entering the United States, according to a statement released today by U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin. The convictions highlight a persistent pattern of individuals flouting U.S. immigration laws, despite previous removals.

The defendants – Juan Gomez Perez, Baltazar R. Mixteco-Temaxtle, Fredy Bravo Galvez, Jose Larios-Cortez, Juan Carlos Hernandez Vallejos, and Juan Rodolfo Martinez-Hernandez – each faced charges for knowingly and unlawfully re-entering the country without proper authorization. Court records detail their prior deportations, with some having been removed multiple times. Juan Gomez Perez, a Mexican national, was previously removed in September 2022 and encountered in Tallahassee on May 29, 2025. Baltazar R. Mixteco-Temaxtle, also Mexican, had been removed in June 2013 and December 2017, and was found in Pensacola on February 22, 2025.

Fredy Bravo Galvez, another Mexican national, was previously deported in March 2013 and March 2020, and was encountered in Tallahassee on June 14, 2025. Jose Larios-Cortez, a Honduran citizen, was removed in November 2014 and found in Santa Rosa County on April 27, 2025. The most frequent offender, Juan Carlos Hernandez Vallejos, a Nicaraguan citizen, was removed in 2006, twice in 2014, and again in 2015 before being encountered in Tallahassee. Finally, Juan Rodolfo Martinez-Hernandez, a Mexican national, was removed in 2017 and 2022, and was found in Pace on April 11, 2025.

U.S. Attorney Heekin delivered a stark warning, stating, “You will see a pattern in many of these cases: aliens who continue to return this country believing they will not face criminal consequences for violating our immigration laws.” He directly linked the prosecutions to the agenda of former President Donald J. Trump and former Attorney General Pam Bondi, emphasizing the commitment to “Take Back America” through aggressive enforcement of immigration laws. Heekin vowed that his office would continue to prioritize these cases, ensuring prosecution and swift removal of those who illegally enter the U.S.

The investigation was a collaborative effort between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations, with support from state and local law enforcement agencies. Assistant United States Attorneys Justin M. Keen, Jeffrey Tharp, Jennifer H. Callahan, and Eric Mountin handled the prosecutions. These cases fall under Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations.

Operation Take Back America streamlines resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, one of 94 nationwide, serves as the primary litigator under the direction of the Attorney General. Public court documents can be accessed on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website: Operation Take Back America. Further information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, is available at http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

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