JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Mexican national twice previously deported from the United States has been charged with illegal re-entry, federal prosecutors announced.
Ignatio Mateos Herrera, 33, was charged federally with unlawful reentry of a previously deported noncitizen. If convicted, he faces up to two years in federal prison, followed by deportation and removal from the United States.
U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced the charges.
According to the indictment, immigration authorities removed Mateos Herrera from the United States on March 18, 2016, and again on April 27, 2017.
Federal prosecutors allege that Mateos Herrera then returned to the United States without authorization. He was arrested on June 20, 2026 in the Middle District of Florida.
Prosecutors said a review of immigration records showed that Mateos Herrera had not applied or received permission from U.S. immigration authorities to legally re-enter the country after his previous deportation.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated the incident. Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Reclaim America, the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative focused on immigration enforcement, cartels, transnational organized crime, and violent crime.
The indictment is an allegation, and Mr. Mateos-Herrera is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
