2 Mexican nationals sentenced for reentering the country and using forged documents

GREAT FALLS - Two men from Mexico who reentered the country illegally using forged documents were sentenced today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Isaias Martinez Araiza, 48, who pleaded guilty in May 2026, was sentenced to time served (78 days) on one count of possessing a fraudulent immigration document and one count of illegal reentry.

Omar Alfaro Aguilar, 41, who pleaded guilty in May 2026, was sentenced to time served (78 days) on one count of possessing a fraudulent immigration document and one count of illegal reentry.

Both defendants were remanded to the custody and control of Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Martinez and Alfaro, who had previously been deported, had returned to the United States and applied for access to the Montana Air National Guard base in Great Falls with forged immigration documents as part of a construction crew.

Black Eagle Construction in April 2026 had submitted paperwork to allow access for four men to work a construction site on the base. In verifying the paperwork, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations found inconsistencies in Martinez's and Alfaro's immigration documents, including forged lawful permanent residence cards.

Additionally, a background check on Martinez found a felony drug possession conviction in Texas from 2003, a misdemeanor DUI conviction from 2005 and a misdemeanor driving without a valid license from 2006. In 2017 he was deported from Brownsville, Texas, for being in the country illegally. A background check on Alfaro found that he had been deported in 2005 and 2018 from Freer, Texas.

The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation.

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.