Mexican National Arrested in Meriden Charged with Illegally Reentering U.S.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that JUAN JOSE CARRASCO CARDENAS, 39, a citizen of Mexico, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with illegally reentering the United States after being deported.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in January 2002, Carrasco was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol and was issued a voluntary return to Mexico. In May 2009, U.S. Border Patrol encountered Carrasco illegally entering the country in Arizona. He was charged in the District of Arizona with improper entry of an alien, sentenced to five days of imprisonment and, in June 2009, was issued a voluntary return to Mexico. In January 2018, Carrasco was arrested in Saline County, Kansas, and charged with various offenses related to the trafficking of marijuana. He was convicted of a state marijuana distribution offense and sentenced to 30 months in jail. He was removed to Mexico in October 2019.

Carrasco was arrested by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations on August 27, 2025, in Meriden. He appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish in Hartford and was ordered detained.

If convicted of the charge of unlawful reentry, Singh faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.

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 (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).