Mexican national sentenced in Missouri to 3 years for 7 illegal entries to US

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Mexican national who was arrested for drunk driving after illegally entering the United States for the seventh time was sentenced in federal court Thursday to three years in prison.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

Martin Triana-Perez, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to three years in federal prison without parole. Illegally reentering the U.S. after being lawfully removed (deported) is a felony under U.S. law. On Oct. 9, 2019, Triana-Perez pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the United States after deportation, subsequent to a felony conviction.

Triana-Perez was arrested by Kansas City police officers Aug. 19, 2019, for driving while intoxicated. Officers responded to a report that Triana-Perez and another person were in a parked vehicle, creating a disturbance at the park. When officers arrived they saw open containers of alcohol in Triana-Perez’s vehicle and instructed them to leave the park on foot. A short time later they saw Triana-Perez driving the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. This was Triana-Perez’s third drunk driving arrest.

Triana-Perez, who has been deported from the United States six times prior to this case, has four prior felony convictions for illegally reentering the United States.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rudolph R. Rhodes IV.