Victor Manuel Mazariegos-Palacios, a 46-year-old citizen of Guatemala, was sentenced for illegal reentry into the United States. The sentencing took place on October 15, 2025, with Chief United States District Judge Matthew W. Brann ordering a time-served sentence, which amounted to approximately four months in prison.
United States Attorney Brian D. Miller stated that Mazariegos-Palacios was found in Columbia County, Pennsylvania on February 8, 2023. He had previously been removed from the United States in 2006 and returned without obtaining legal permission. Following his sentence, Mazariegos-Palacios will be deported to Guatemala.
The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations along with the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan Martin prosecuted the case.
“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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).”
The press release notes that although this matter occurred earlier, it was not issued at that time due to a government shutdown; it has now been made available following a return to normal operations.
