Mexican man sentenced for illegal reentry

GREAT FALLS – A Mexican man who entered the United States illegally was sentenced yesterday to a sentence of time served and remanded to U.S. Border Patrol upon release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Enrique Hernandez-Rodriguez, 51, pleaded guilty in August 2025 to illegal reentry.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

The government alleged in court documents that on July 26, 2025, Enrique Hernandez-Rodriguez, an alien and citizen of Mexico, who was last removed from the United States in January 2021, was found near Chinook, Montana without having received permission to reenter the country.

Hernandez-Rodriguez’s alien registration file shows a history of criminal and immigration violations dating to 2007, including a conviction for negligent driving in Washington, driving with a revoked license in North Dakota, and two prior removals from the United States.

In this case, Hernandez-Rodriguez was stopped by the Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) on July 26, 2025, east of Chinook, Montana. MHP requested assistance from Border Patrol agents who later arrived at the location. Record checks revealed Hernandez-Rodriguez had no pending or legal immigration documents that would allow him to be in the United States. He also admitted to being a Mexican citizen and acknowledged he was in United States without any immigration documents.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The U.S. Border Patrol and Montana Highway Patrol conducted the investigation.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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