Mexican national sentenced after illegally entering U.S. for the 11th time

A Mexican national has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison after illegally reentering the United States for the eleventh time, according to prosecutors.

Josue Rodriguez-Rodriguez, 47, pleaded guilty in March and was sentenced this week to 69 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein Jr, according to U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas. He is expected to face removal proceedings following the completion of his sentence.

Rodriguez-Rodriguez has prior convictions for aggravated assault involving family violence and for possession with intent to deliver or manufacture a controlled substance. He was first removed from the United States in 2000 and has been found in the country on multiple occasions since.

According to prosecutors, he was arrested near Carrizo Springs, near the Texas-Mexico border, in 2014 for the tenth time, which resulted in a 41-month prison sentence. He was removed again but was later found in Houston in February 2021.

“The defendant could have easily avoided further prison time by simply remaining in Mexico, but he instead chose to break the law…again…and again…and again,” U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei said in a statement. “Perhaps with today’s sentence, Mr. Rodriguez-Rodriguez will finally understand the lesson he should have learned long ago.”

Rodriguez-Rodriguez remains in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.