Honduran Man Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Reentering the United States After Three Prior Deportations

A man who illegally returned to the United States after being deported three times was sentenced today to almost three months in federal prison.

Joel Martinez-Reyes, age 34, a citizen of Honduras illegally present in the United States and residing in Iowa City, Iowa, received the prison term after a May 15, 2019, guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry into the United States.

At the guilty plea, Martinez-Reyes admitted he had previously been deported from the United States in October 2009, February 2010, and October 2013 and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government.  Martinez-Reyes was found by immigration agents in April 2019 illegally working in Cedar Rapids.

In September 2009, Martinez-Reyes was convicted in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas of illegal entry into the United States from Mexico by crossing by Rio Grande River. 

Martinez-Reyes was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Martinez-Reyes was sentenced to 89 days’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a one-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Martinez-Reyes is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be turned over to immigration officials.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 19-CR-40. 

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