Mexican National Sentenced After Repeated Illegal Entries and Criminal Convictions

RICHMOND, Va. – A Mexican national was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for illegally reentering the United States after committing multiple criminal and immigration offenses.

“Over the past 20 years, Mr. Silva has illegally entered or attempted to enter the United States at least seven times, and he has been convicted of eight criminal offenses, including discharging a firearm, resisting police, fraudulent documentation, and multiple drunk driving offenses,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This recidivist behavior reflects a blatant disregard for our nation’s laws and borders, and represents a clear threat to public safety. The Department of Justice is committed to prioritizing criminal immigration enforcement, and this case reflects that continuing commitment.”

According to court documents, Omar Villarreal Silva, 40, of Cuajinicuilapa in the state of Guerrero, Mexico, pleaded guilty in federal court on May 21, 2018, to illegal reentry by a previously convicted felon. Silva first attempted to enter the United States unlawfully in 1998, and he was voluntarily returned to Mexico after being apprehended on five occasions between March 1998 to July 1999. After these failed attempts, Silva illegally reentered the United States and was convicted in Winston Salem, North Carolina for discharging a firearm and resisting police in 2000 and 2001, after which he moved to the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Between 2007 to 2014, Silva was arrested by the Chesterfield County Police Department on multiple occasions and was convicted of possessing a false identification document and three instances of driving while intoxicated. In September 2014, Silva was removed by U.S. immigration authorities to Mexico, but two months later in November 2014, Silva attempted to enter the United States using a fraudulent passport card at the border in El Paso, Texas. Silva subsequently was convicted in the Western District of Texas for illegal reentry and improper use of a passport card, and he was sentenced to 15 months in prison, after which he was removed to Mexico in December 2016.

After his December 2016 removal, Silva illegally reentered the United States once again and was arrested in August 2017 by the Chesterfield County Police Department, after which he was referred for the current federal prosecution.

“The United States is a nation of laws and order, and habitual and repeated disregard for those laws will not go without consequence,” said Russell Hott, Field Office Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C. “Today’s announcement reflects our continued commitment to enforce these laws and to ensure there are no allowances for criminals and reoffenders to occupy our communities.”

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Russell Hott, Field Office Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C., made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge M. Hannah Lauck. Assistant U.S. Attorney S. David Schiller prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:17-cr-125.