A Mexican national, Juan Mendez-Morales, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Portland to the charge of illegally reentering the United States after having been previously removed. According to court records, on October 22, 2025, Mendez-Morales, 43, was stopped by police for speeding. A United States Border Patrol Agent responded to the scene and Mendez-Morales admitted he was a citizen of Mexico without any legal immigration documents permitting him to be in the country. Records show that he had been removed from the United States in October 2013 following an order by an immigration judge.
Mendez-Morales faces up to two years in prison and a fine of as much as $250,000. Sentencing will take place after a presentence investigative report is completed by the U.S. Probation Office. The final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge who will consider both U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was investigated by the United States Border Patrol.
The prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America, which is described as “a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.”
