Two Mexican Nationals Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Reentering the United States After Multiple Deportations

PHILADELPHIA - United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that two Mexican nationals convicted separately of illegally reentering the United States after multiple prior deportations have been sentenced to prison.

David Gonzalez-Castillo, 47, was sentenced by United States District Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro to two years in prison for illegal reentry. Upon completing his prison sentence, he will be removed from the United States again.

Gonzalez-Castillo had been removed from the U.S. four times before: in March 2009, July 2009, and twice in August 2009, after encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Texas and the U.S. Border Patrol in Arizona.

In October 2024, ICE learned that Gonzalez-Castillo had been arrested by the Coatesville (Pa.) Police Department. ICE officers took the defendant into custody in March of this year, after he was convicted of simple assault in the Chester County Court of Common Pleas. Gonzalez-Castillo was charged by federal indictment with illegal reentry in April and pleaded guilty in May.

Saul Lopez Rodriguez, 32, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joshua D. Wolson to six months in prison for illegal reentry. Upon completing his sentence, he will be removed from the United States again.

Lopez Rodriguez had previously been removed from the country four times, including in November 2012, December 2012, and March 2013, after encounters with the U.S. Border Patrol in Arizona. In March 2016, the U.S. Border Patrol encountered the defendant in New Mexico. He was arrested, charged by information with illegal reentry in the District of New Mexico, pleaded guilty, and was removed from the country in April 2016.

In July 2024, ICE became aware that Lopez Rodriguez had been arrested by the Norristown (Pa.) Police Department, with the defendant subsequently pleading guilty to reckless driving. ICE took him into custody in June of this year, after law enforcement encountered him during a traffic stop. Lopez Rodriguez was charged by information with illegal reentry in July and pleaded guilty the same month, waiving prosecution by indictment.

These cases are 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 (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

The cases were investigated by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Francis Weber and Erica Kivitz.