Jamaican National Sentenced to Six Months in Prison for Illegal Reentry

BOSTON – A Jamaican national was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for illegally reentering the United States after deportation.

Tanya James, 53, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to six months in prison. The defendant is now subject to deportation proceedings. In July 2025, James pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. James was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2025.

In 2003, Tanya James was convicted of possession of cocaine base with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine base. She was ordered removed from the United States and deported to Jamaica in 2004. In 2011, James was again ordered removed from the United States and deported to Jamaica in 2012. According to court documents, in March 2024, James was charged with motor vehicle offenses. On or about May 12, 2025, James was taken into custody by immigration officials after she was found to be in the United States without having received permission to reenter.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Acting Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Noto of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.