Jose Francisco Santizo-Perez, a Guatemalan national also known as Jose Mynor Castillo Lazaro, pleaded guilty on Mar. 16 to illegally reentering the United States after being previously removed. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by federal authorities to enforce immigration laws and address repeat offenses involving individuals who have been deported multiple times. Prosecutors say such cases are part of broader initiatives aimed at maintaining border security and public safety.
Heekin said: “For too long, criminal aliens have completely disregarded our nation’s borders and immigration laws, but President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi launched Operation Take Back America to repel the invasion of illegal immigration and keep our communities safe. With this successful prosecution, we are one step closer to achieving that goal, and we will continue to aggressively prosecute criminal aliens, like this defendant, who will come to realize we take the robust enforcement of our nation’s borders and laws seriously.”
According to court documents, Santizo-Perez has been deported from the United States four times and has two prior convictions for illegal reentry—once in 2018 in the Northern District of Florida and again in 2020 in the Western District of Texas. After his most recent deportation in 2021, he returned illegally once more and was found in Okaloosa County, Florida in January 2026. He now faces up to ten years in prison followed by removal from the country.
The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes is prosecuting the case.
Santizo-Perez is scheduled for sentencing on May 18 at the United States District Courthouse in Pensacola before Judge M. Casey Rodgers.
