Two Mexican nationals have been sentenced to prison in Philadelphia for illegally reentering the United States after being deported multiple times, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney David Metcalf.
David Gonzalez-Castillo, 47, received a two-year prison sentence from United States District Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro for illegal reentry. After serving his sentence, he will be removed from the country again. Gonzalez-Castillo had previously been deported four times in 2009 following encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Texas and the U.S. Border Patrol in Arizona.
In October 2024, ICE learned that Gonzalez-Castillo had been arrested by the Coatesville Police Department in Pennsylvania. He was taken into ICE custody in March of this year after being convicted of simple assault in Chester County Court of Common Pleas. He was indicted on federal charges of illegal reentry in April and pleaded guilty in May.
Saul Lopez Rodriguez, 32, was sentenced to six months in prison by United States District Judge Joshua D. Wolson for illegal reentry and will also be removed from the United States upon completion of his sentence. Lopez Rodriguez had previously been deported four times between November 2012 and March 2013 after encounters with U.S. Border Patrol agents in Arizona, and again after a 2016 arrest and conviction for illegal reentry in New Mexico.
In July 2024, ICE became aware that Lopez Rodriguez had been arrested by Norristown Police Department in Pennsylvania; he later pleaded guilty to reckless driving. Law enforcement encountered him during a traffic stop and ICE took him into custody this June. He was charged with illegal reentry by information in July and pleaded guilty that same month, waiving prosecution by indictment.
“These cases are 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,” said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf. “Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).”
The investigations were conducted by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant United States Attorneys Francis Weber and Erica Kivitz prosecuted both cases.
