Jamaican Woman Pleads Guilty to Illegal Reentry

BOSTON – A Jamaican woman pleaded guilty yesterday to illegally reentering the United States after deportation.

Tanya James, 53, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman scheduled sentencing for Sept. 3, 2025. James was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2025.

In 2003, Tanya James was convicted in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts of possession of cocaine base with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine base.  Subsequent to that conviction, she was ordered removed from the United States and was removed to Jamaica in 2004.  In 2011, James was again ordered removed from the United States and was removed to Jamaica in 2012. On or about May 12, 2025, James was found to be in the United States without having received permission to reenter.

The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement.