Dominican National Admits to Illegally Re-Entry; Faces Third Deportation

PROVIDENCE – A Dominican national faces deportation for a 3rd time after pleading guilty today in federal court to a charge of illegal reentry, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.

Celso Herrera-De Los Santos, 49, who was deported in 2011 and in 2017, is currently detained at ACI on Rhode Island state charges of possession with intent to deliver cocaine and possession with intent to deliver 1oz to 1 kilo of cocaine.

Herrera came to the attention of Immigration and Customs Enforcement a week after his May 22, 2025, arrest during a routine screening at the ACI.

Herrera is scheduled to be sentenced on October 23, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A deportation detainer has been lodged in this matter.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter I. Roklan, with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorney Dulce Donovan.

The matter was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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).