Mexican national pleads guilty to illegal reentry

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A citizen and national of Mexico, pleaded guilty to re-entry of a removed alien. The charge carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The investigation is being conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Valentin Cruz-Santos, 39, was removed from the United States on three prior occasions, most recently on Oct. 2, 2008. On July 29, 2011, Cruz-Santos was apprehended in Medina, N.Y., by officers with ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations. The officers were in the process of locating another federal fugitive when Cruz-Santos was encountered. It was determined that once again, Cruz-Santos did not make a legal entry into the United States.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell T. Ippolito, Jr., Western District of New York, is prosecuting this case.