Twice-Convicted Criminal Alien Pleads Guilty to Illegally Reentering the Country

Pensacola, Florida - Jose Francisco Santizo-Perez, also known as "Jose Mynor Castillo Lazaro," 41, a Guatemalan national, pleaded guilty in federal court to illegal reentry by a removed alien. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: "For too long, criminal aliens have completely disregarded our nation's borders and immigration laws, but President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi launched Operation Take Back America to repel the invasion of illegal immigration and keep our communities safe. With this successful prosecution, we are one step closer to achieving that goal, and we will continue to aggressively prosecute criminal aliens, like this defendant, who will come to realize we take the robust enforcement of our nation's borders and laws seriously."

Court documents reflect that the defendant has been deported from the United States four times and has twice been convicted of illegal reentry by a removed alien, first in 2018 in this district, and again in 2020 in the Western District of Texas. After his most recent deportation in 2021, he illegally returned to the United States and was found in Okaloosa County, Florida, in January 2026. He now faces up to ten years in prison followed by removal from the United States.

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes is prosecuting the case.

Santizo-Perez's sentencing is scheduled for May 18, 2026, at 11:00 am at the United States District Courthouse in Pensacola before United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers.

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.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation's principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of FloridaLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. website. For more information about the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.