A 42-year-old Guatemalan national has been sentenced to 16 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to entering the United States illegally for a fifth time. Jose Francisco Santizo-Perez, who also uses the alias “Jose Mynor Castillo Lazaro,” received his sentence in the Northern District of Florida following a guilty plea to illegal reentry by a removed alien.
According to federal court documents, Santizo-Perez has a history of immigration violations, having been deported from the U.S. four times prior to his latest arrest. His record includes two previous federal convictions for illegal reentry—the first in 2018 within the Northern District of Florida, and the second in 2020 in the Western District of Texas. Following his most recent deportation in 2021, authorities located Santizo-Perez in Okaloosa County, Florida, in January 2026.
U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin announced the plea and stated, “This criminal illegal alien has clearly not gotten the message that violating our nation’s immigration laws will not be tolerated, so now he will spend more than a year in federal prison before being deported once again. We are a nation of laws, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute anyone who dares to violate those laws in the Northern District of Florida.”
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Kelei Walker, the acting Field Office Director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Miami, echoed these sentiments regarding the sentence. “This criminal illegal alien is a repeat offender who has been deported four times and twice convicted for illegal reentry and continues to demonstrate his contempt for the laws of the United States,” Walker said. “This conviction highlights the persistent issues associated with criminal illegal aliens who continually break immigration laws. The 16-month federal prison sentence demonstrates ICE’s dedication to upholding the law and safeguarding our communities from individuals who ignore the legal process.”
The investigation into Santizo-Perez was conducted by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, with Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes handling the prosecution.
The prosecution falls under the umbrella of Operation Take Back America. This Department of Justice initiative coordinates federal resources with the stated goals of stopping illegal immigration, eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and reducing violent crime in local communities.
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