A Guatemalan man has been sentenced in U.S. District Court in Bangor for illegally reentering the United States after being removed. Geremias Josue Sanchez-Velasquez, 31, received a sentence of time served, totaling 110 days. He had pleaded guilty to the charge on June 11, 2025.
Court records indicate that Sanchez-Velasquez was encountered by a U.S. Border Patrol Agent in Palmyra, Maine, on April 23, 2025. During the encounter, he admitted that he was not a U.S. citizen and did not have authorization to be in the country. Further checks showed that Sanchez-Velasquez had previously been convicted for illegal entry and was removed from the United States in 2019.
Following his sentencing, Sanchez-Velasquez was turned over to immigration authorities.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America, an initiative aimed at using Department of Justice resources to address illegal immigration and combat transnational criminal organizations and violent crime through coordinated efforts with Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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