A Mexican national, Francisco Rios-Munoz, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after having previously been deported three times. Authorities discovered Rios-Munoz in Rankin County, Mississippi on February 2, 2025, following his arrest by the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department on charges of aggravated assault.
Rios-Munoz was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 22, 2025. He pleaded guilty to illegal reentry after removal of an alien on June 6, 2025.
Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi and Eric P. DeLaune, Special Agent-in-Charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans, Louisiana announced the sentencing.
The case was investigated by the United States Department of Homeland Security and the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amber S. Jones prosecuted the case.
According to officials, this case was part of Operation Take Back America and involved the Mississippi Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF). HSTFs were established under Executive Order 14159 as joint operations led by the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security to address illegal immigration and related criminal activity nationwide.
“Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal 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,” according to statements released about the operation. “Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).”
