A Mexican citizen living illegally in Charlottesville, Virginia, has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for illegal reentry after previously being removed from the United States on at least three occasions.
Jose Luis Saavedra-Escamirosa, 36, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Charlottesville. His sentencing follows an April 2025 arrest by Virginia State Police for driving under the influence. According to court documents, police found him stopped in a vehicle on Interstate 64 after an accident and noted signs of intoxication including bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and a strong smell of alcohol.
Further investigation showed that Saavedra-Escamirosa was first deported from the United States in 2011. He returned illegally and was convicted of two drug offenses in Colorado in 2014 before being removed again. In 2016, he was convicted of illegal reentry in Texas and served a 20-month sentence before his removal to Mexico in January 2018. After this, he returned once more and lived illegally until his DUI arrest earlier this year.
“Illegal reentry into the United States is a federal felony offense,” said Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci. “This office will affirmatively prosecute those who violate the immigration laws of the United States.”
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations based in Harrisonburg.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sally J. Sullivan prosecuted the case for the government.
The prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America, which combines efforts from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) to address such cases nationwide.
