A Guatemalan national, Mateo Ramos-Perez, was sentenced to 11 months in prison for unlawfully reentering the United States after being previously removed. The sentencing took place on September 11, 2025. Following his incarceration, Ramos-Perez will be transferred to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Court documents state that Ramos-Perez, age 32, was discovered by law enforcement officials in Scott County on or about June 25, 2025. He had previously been convicted in federal court for misuse of a social security number and was removed from the United States twice—on November 8, 2012 and again on December 4, 2019.
Ramos-Perez was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 15, 2025 and entered a guilty plea on September 11, 2025.
The announcement of the sentencing was made by Patrick A. Lemon, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi; Eric P. DeLaune, Special Agent-in-Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans; and Brian Acuna, Acting Field Office Director of ICE/ERO in New Orleans.
Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Brett Grantham prosecuted the case.
Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation as part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline), a nationwide initiative that coordinates resources from various Department of Justice programs such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) to address illegal immigration and related criminal activity.
