Mexican National Sentenced to Prison for Illegally Reentering U.S.

David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JUAN JOSE CARRASCO CARDENAS, 40, a citizen of Mexico last residing in Meriden, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to six months of imprisonment for illegally reentering the United States after being deported.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in January 2002, Carrasco Cardenas was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol and was issued a voluntary return to Mexico. In May 2009, U.S. Border Patrol encountered Carrasco Cardenas 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 Cardenas 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.

On August 27, 2025, Carrasco Cardenas was arrested by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Meriden. He pleaded guilty to illegal reentry on September 18.

Carrasco Cardenas, who has been detained since his arrest, will be removed to Mexico when he completes his prison term.

This matter was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations. The case was 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.