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Previously deported Mexican national sentenced to 8 years for re-entering the US

HOUSTON - A criminal alien, who had been previously deported to Mexico in 2008, was sentenced in federal court on Friday to eight years in prison for illegally re-entering the United States. This sentence resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Gerardo Izaguirre-Rea, 36, was sentenced May 14 in the Southern District of Texas to 96 months in federal prison for illegally re-entering the United States after having been previously deported as an aggravated felon. He could have received up to 20 years in prison for this conviction. ICE will deport Izaguirre-Rea to Mexico after he completes his prison sentence.

Izaguirre-Rea has three prior deportations. He has convictions for various crimes, including: theft, burglary with intent to commit other felony, drunken driving, bodily injury to a child, and previously re-entering the United States after deportation. He was last deported in June 2008.

According to court documents, Izaguirre-Rea was arrested on Nov. 17, 2009, by the Harris County Sheriff's Office in Houston, Texas, for assault with bodily injury, and criminal mischief. While being administratively processed by 287(g) officers and agents, Izaguirre-Rea's previous criminal history was revealed.

"This significant prison sentence shows the consequences aliens face when they illegally re-enter the country after being deported," said Kenneth Landgrebe, field office director for ICE Detention and Removal Operations in Houston. "This prosecution reflects the cooperation and commitment to secure our communities among ICE, the Harris County Sheriff Office, the Harris County District Attorney, and the U.S. Attorney's Office."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Donnelly, Southern District of Texas, prosecuted this case.