Texas Border Business
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas
HOUSTON – A 38-year-old illegal alien from Mexico has been sentenced for illegally reentering the United States after removal.
Esequiel Rueda-Ramirez pleaded guilty to this offense on Nov. 13, 2025.
U.S. District Judge Hanen has now ordered Rueda-Ramirez to serve 48 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to again face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard evidence regarding Rueda-Ramirez’s criminal history while unlawfully present in the United States.
Rueda-Ramirez has prior convictions for evading arrest, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to deliver cocaine and illegal reentry.
Authorities first removed Rueda-Ramirez from the United States in February 2010, and he repeatedly returned illegally. On June 2, 2022, law enforcement again discovered him in the country without authorization.
Rueda-Ramirez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Hostetter prosecuted the case.
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 and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Updated May 11, 2026
