Mexican citizen sentenced for illegally reentering the U.S.

BILLINGS - A Mexican national who was in the country illegally after having been removed in 2019 was sentenced today to 211 days of custody; his next step is deportation, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Fabian Lopez-Barragan, 25, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to one count of illegal reentry into the United States.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Lopez-Barragan had illegally returned to the U.S. in 2020 after having first been deported in 2019. Lopez-Barragan was pulled over in Sidney on Dec. 30, 2025, for driving a car with plates that didn't match the vehicle. After questioning the validity of Lopez-Barragan's driver's license, law enforcement contacted Havre Border Patrol, whose agents determined Lopez-Barragan was in the country illegally.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Godfrey prosecuted the case. 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.